The Reign of Sleeping Beauty
by clickforkolsdick
Summary: The story of Sleeping Beauty is a well known tale, the beautiful princess gets poisoned by a spindle but gets awaken from a true love's kiss. But this story does not unfold like the fairytale, rather, it's much darker. With the weight of her country of Ireland on Aurora's shoulders and an arranged engagement to her enemy, this story takes a twisted turn.
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One – Birthday Wishes**

I was standing on the stool nice and tall, I looked in the mirror as the back of my dress was being pulled and tied. I sucked in a breath every time she tightened the strings of the corset in the back and held onto a maiden for support.

She curled my auburn hair into loose curls that fell completely down my back and put on a little bit of make-up. I looked in the mirror and smiled at my reflection. I turned around to face Diana who had a grin plastered on her lips, "Aurora, you look beautiful."

She held out her hand and I took it in mine and she helped me down, "Thank you, Diane."

"My pleasure, darling. You are going to make a beautiful Queen one day," She swung a necklace around my neck and I pulled my hair up and out of the way. She clasped the necklace together and I let my hair fall back down my back.

I grasped the necklace in my hand tightly and traced my finger along it. It was from my mother, she gave it to me before they shipped me to France. I knew it was for my own safety, but I wish I could be home, especially today. I wanted my mother and father with me because no one could truly replace them. I missed them and only got to see them once every few months.

I heard the door swing open and I looked behind me and saw two boys running into the room, sweat dripping down their foreheads. Diane walked out of the room and they walked over to me, Sebastian smiled, "Happy Birthday, Aurora!"

I smirked at him, "Thanks Bash!"

I heard a door slam against the wall, "Francis, where are you?" I heard a whiny scream from down the hall and we all exchanged looks, "I swear to God, Francis. This is not funny!" We all hid and watched as the Queen walked into the room, she spotted Sebastian first. "Sebastian," She barked and he ducked out from under the table, "Where is Francis?"

Sebastian shrugged and she grabbed his arm but he tried to free himself, "I don't know where he is!"

He yanked his arm free but fell backwards in the process making a loud bang on the floor, "You little bastard. Stand up, right now!"

"Catherine, I insist you leave my son alone," Diane said as she reentered the room and I climbed out of my hiding spot and helped Bash up. "Francis, honey, you can come out now," Diana said and Francis rose to his feet.

Catherine grabbed her son and pulled him out of the room, I watched as the blonde boy struggled to get free. I heard a door slam from down the hallway and sat down on a chair, Diane leaned down to be eye level with her fifteen year old son. "Are you okay?" She asked and he nodded and she brushed his brown hair out of his bluish-green eyes. "Go get a shower and get ready, we're celebrating Aurora's birthday soon."

Sebastian ran off down the hallway and disappeared into the bathroom, I stood up and Diane walked over to me placing her hands on my shoulders. "Why is Catherine so mean?" I asked.

She chuckled lightly, "She is just mad that Sebastian is growing up to be a wonderful young man and you are a beautiful girl with a lot of potential."

"You don't really think that," I looked up at her through my eye lashes.

She poked my nose with her index finger and I scrunched my face together, "Why wouldn't I? Your mother and father would be so proud of the young woman you are becoming." I swallowed hard and thought about it, I've changed a lot since I was really with them, not just visits. Five years changes someone a lot.

She handed me a small box and I looked up at her confused, "This is something special, just from Bash and I. Open it," She nodded and I ripped the paper off of the box.

I stared at the small tiara in the middle of the box, "You should not have gotten me this."

"Every Princess deserves a crown that is fit for a Queen," She said taking it out of my hands and placing it on the top of my head. It fit perfectly on the top of my head and I turned to look in the mirror, "Make a wish."

I closed my eyes and thought hard, _I wish that I could be a normal girl and marry a normal boy. _I opened my eyes and I looked at my reflection once again, I saw Sebastian in the corner of the mirror. I whipped my head around and he was staring at me, "Whoa."

"Is it too much?" I asked scratching the top of my head slightly and he shook his head furiously and Diane walked out of the room towards Henry's room. His tie was tied wrong and I chuckled and walked over to him, "Your tie is messed up."

I undid his tie and fixed it and he watched me intently the entire time, "Th-thank you." I looked up at him slightly since he was an inch or two taller than me, "You look incredible."

I curtsied slightly and he grinned at me widely, "Thank you, Bash."


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two – Departure**

We were sitting on a log on the shoreline of the lake that was located hidden behind a tree. I read the note over and over again, making sure I read every single word correctly. Sebastian was sitting beside me on the bench in the garden, "Is everything okay?"

I looked over at him and nodded, "Yeah, it's just. The war is over," I sounded surprised.

"What? That is incredible news!" He grinned and I nodded but didn't smile back, but rather, I swallowed hard, "Why do you not look happy?"

I handed the note to him and watched as his face changed from excitement to confusion to shock, which were all the emotions I was feeling. "I leave tomorrow by dawn," I said folding my arms in my lap and looking away from him.

He didn't make any eye contact with me, unlike our usual conversations, "You are engaged."

I closed my eyes and thought about it for a while, but that just made me angrier than I initially was, "They cannot just sell me as a peace offering. I haven't been home in seven years and this is their welcoming."

"Maybe it won't be that bad," He said placing his hand on my arm but I shrugged him off and stared at the ground. There was a lady bug crawling on a sunflower and I watched it move with my eyes.

"He's German, they burnt down our villages. Nothing could possibly make this situation better," I shook my head furiously. "I finally felt like I meant something more, I hate being a Princess. I am just a matter of property for my country."

He stood up from the tree log and leaned down in front of me so I was forced to look at him, "Hey! You are not property. Do not downgrade yourself to nothing."

"I am nothing, everyone looks at me like I am worthless," I rolled my eyes but I felt a tear spill from the corner and roll down my cheek.

I wiped it away quickly, trying to sneak it past Sebastian, but I knew he saw it. He grazed his hand on my cheek and wiped the remains of the tear away and I took a deep breath, "You are not worthless." I glanced away from him but he moved my cheek to look at him again, "What is eating you up so much? You are a strong woman."

I shook my head, "Nothing. I am fine."

"Is this about Francis?" He asked and I closed my eyes tightly, "And do not answer that because I already know what you are going to say. What Francis did to you was wrong, I get it. He is engaged to Mary, Queen of Scots, and seeing another woman on the side. He should have never lead you on like he did."

I stared at him blankly and he just watched my every move, "Thank you, Bash."

"This Prince from Germany will be the luckiest man to have you," He stood up and held out his hand for mine. I placed mine in his and he pulled me up onto my feet, "You will make a wonderful Queen and an even better wife."

He kissed my cheek gently but let his lips linger a little longer than necessary. When he pulled away, I turned my face slightly and pressed my lips against his. I pulled away quickly and my eyes went wide as I stared at him in shock. He had the same look on his face.

"I-I, I am so sorry, I don't, I have no idea what, why did I, I am sorr-" I babbled on with a list of apologies but he cut me off by crashing his lips into mine once again. Neither of us pulled away from one another this time and our lips meshed together. He pressed his forehead against mine and I took a large gulp, "We should not have, I do not know what got into me."

He placed his right hand under my jaw and rubbed his thumb along my cheekbone, "I take full responsibility for that. That was very unprofessional and it shall never happen again, my grace."

I nodded my forehead against his but didn't pull away from him, "Yes, it was very unprofessional. I am engaged now, I cannot be kissing other men." I swallowed hard and slid my hand up his chest to the top of his shirt and pulled at the collar.

"Never again, it was just wrong," He spoke slowly and my breathing grew heavier.

My hand traveled to the back of his neck and I tangled my fingers in the back of his hair, "Very wrong, it should have never happened."

"Never," He swallowed hard and we both stared in each other's eyes, "Never again."

I shook my head and pressed my lips to his and he didn't hesitate to kiss me back. He reacted quickly and traced his tongue along my bottom lip and I granted him access. His tongue slid into my mouth and I reacted simultaneously with him. I tugged at the collar of his shirt with my one hand and knotted my other in his hand. We pulled away a few seconds later and I took a step away from him, "That-I, we, that cannot happen."

He grabbed my hand and I leaned forward with the ease of his touch, "We will pretend that it never happened. It was a mistake," He said and I shook my head in agreement.

"It was a onetime thing," I cleared my throat. "I am going to go back inside and begin packing my things. Wait a few minutes until you come back, we cannot have them suspicious."

I turned to walk away from him but I felt his hand wrap around my wrist and pull me back to him one last time and kissed me. He grabbed me face in both of his hands then pulled away, "I had to one last time."

I walked backwards away from him and he watched as I walked away from him, I turned and walked straight ahead towards the castle. I moved my hand to my lips and touched them lightly, _I know that I will never forget my first kiss._

The next day, I stood outside of the castle and I saw a carriage that was being pulled my horses drive up to us. It halted and a man and woman climbed out of the carriage, I smiled widely and ran over to them. I crashed into my mother and she hugged me back immediately, "Honey, you look beautiful." I felt my dad join in on the hug and he put his hand in the back of my hair and he pulled us both close to him.

I turned away from my mother and father for a second and glanced over at Sebastian, "Would it be acceptable to say my goodbyes." They nodded and I walked over towards King Henry, I extended my hand towards him but he ignored it and pulled me into a hug. "Thank you for everything," I said into his chest and he rubbed circles into my back.

"Take care of yourself," He whispered into my ear and then let go of me.

I turned to Catherine and she held out her hand and I took it, "It was a pleasure having you, Aurora."

"Thank you for allowing me to stay in your marvelous home," I shook her hand back and she smiled slightly before letting go and turning away. I walked over towards Francis and he pulled me straight into a tight hug, "I will miss you Francis."

He pulled away and touched my face lightly, "I will miss you more, short rod."

I chuckled at his nickname and walked towards Diane, she pulled me into a small hug and kissed the top of my head. "Take care of yourself, remember if you ever need anything, you know where to find me. You were like the daughter that I always wanted," She hugged me once more before I moved along to Sebastian.

I stood in front of him and we stared at each other for a while, I was trying to think of what to do or what to say. I wrapped my arms around his neck and engulfed him into a tight hug, he picked me up in his arms and held me close. "I will miss you immensely," He whispered into my hair and I felt tears threatening to fall. He put me down and we pulled away slightly, "Thank you for being my best friend," He grinned.

"You are the best best friend that I ever had," I pouted and he pulled me into another hug and kissed the top of my head. "Thank you for everything that you did for me and I mean everything. I could not have gotten through these seven years without you," I looked up at him and I felt tears falling.

He wiped them away with his thumbs, "Stop crying on me or else I will start crying."

I shook my head, "Please do not do that or I'll just start crying even more, Bash."

"Take care of yourself okay?" He said in a raspy voice which was trying to muffle over the sobs that were surfacing. His eyes began to water and I hugged him one final time, "I will never forget you."

I laughed, "I lied yesterday," He looked down at me confused, "I will never forget that kiss. You were my first," I said more quietly than before. "It was special, everything I imagined." He didn't respond, only nodded and smirked. "This is not a goodbye, only a see you later."

"As you wish, good luck with the engagement, I am happy for you. Remember you will be a wonderful Queen and an even better wife," He said kissing my cheek.

"I need to go," I said walking away from him backwards and he nodded.

I made my way back to my parents and my fiancé, the life I was leaving behind was the life I wish I was living. Everything was so different now, I didn't know how to be Princess Aurora from Ireland, daughter of King Stefan and Queen Leah. Fiancé to the Prince of Germany that I have not even met yet. Nothing was the same.


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three – Once Upon a Dream**

I was walking outside by the garden near the stream, my black dress was dragging along the freshly cut grass. I looked around and saw guards watching my every move, I picked a flower out of the garden and placed the tiny sunflower behind my ear.

I walked to the edge of the garden and started to sing to myself, "_I wonder, I wonder if my heart keeps singing will my song go winging to someone who'll find me and bring back a love song me."_

I walked back into the garden slightly and leaned down over a flower and picked up a rose, "Why do they still treat me like a child? Like they never want me to meet someone," I sighed and stared into the middle of the flower and saw a lady bug. I picked it up and it sat on my finger, "I fooled them." I whispered to the tiny insect, "I have met someone."

I started to dance by myself and spinning in small circles around and around. The sun was beaming down on me and the smell of flowers was wafting through the air. "_I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. Yes, I know it's true that visions are seldom all they seem." _I closed my eyes and let my arms extend out straight, "_But if I know you, I'll know what you'll do. You'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream."_

I spun one last time but bumped into someone and he began singing along with me. His arms wrapped around my waist and I jumped away from, "Guards!" I yelled but he grabbed my hand and my eyes grew wide staring at the man in front of me.

"I'm awfully sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you," He apologized and his accent was slightly German.

He was taller than me with curly, short brown hair and bright blue eyes. Freckles were covering his face and he was smiling at me with a dimple in his cheek. He had a black and silver battle outfit on and black boots. I saw a gray horse not that far away and I glanced back up at him.

"Who are you?" I asked trying to be intimidated.

He smiled and let go of my hand and bowed down in front of me, "I am Prince Phillip of Germany. I believe that you are my fiancé, my grace."

I curtsied at him lifting my dress slightly off the ground, "Please, call me Aurora."

He nodded, "Your wish is my command, Aurora. That was lovely singing, you have a remarkable voice," He noted and I felt a blush creeping up on my cheeks.

"That was nothing, I was only messing around," I retorted.

"Well I would like to hear more of your voice, I believe you are incredible in everything that you attempt," He said taking a step towards me.

I turned away from him and walked back into the garden, "You don't even know me at all."

He followed me in and ran to catch up to me, "I believe I do." He shouted and I turned around to look at him, "_I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream."_ He sang and I laughed at him, his voice was shaky. You could tell he's not very big on singing, plus the fact he was nervous.

I ran around and leaned my back against a tree and kept listening to him singing, he touched my arm lightly and I looked at him shocked. "_I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam."_

He put his hand on my waist and his other in my hand and pulled me along to dance with him in the middle of the garden. He stopped singing and I stared up at him, "Well that is one way to meet your fiancé."

He pressed his lips to my cheek and I intertwined my arm in his and we walked out of the garden. We made our way to his horse and I stopped and petted his head, "This is Sampson."

I groomed down to his nose and patted his hand, "It was my pleasure to meet you Sampson." I turned back around to Phillip, "Come with me. It's time that you have met my parents," I held out my hand for his and he took it immediately and we made our way up to my castle.

**AN: I know this chapter was short, but I have a lot more planned for the next few chapters coming up! Plus, I wanted to tie in the fairytale a bit. Also, that you for all of the reviews, they're greatly appreciated. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! **


	4. Chapter Four

_Author's Note: Thank you so much for all the support so far! It's greatly appreciated! Things are about to take a unexpected turn in the next few chapters! Please keep leaving reviews and continue reading, enjoy! :)_

* * *

**Chapter Four – Deep Slumber **

_**-Aurora's POV-**_

When I awoke in the morning, I stretched cracking a few bones. I stood up and walked out of my room and into the bathroom beside my bedroom. I walked into and washed my face and used the toilet, I left the bathroom.

I made my way back towards my room and my maids were waiting for me, "Good morning, Princess Aurora."

I smiled and they followed me into the room, I stood in front of my mirror while they picked out my gown for the day. "Is this one alright, Princess?" One of the maidens called and I turned towards them and inspected the gown.

"Marvelous," I nodded my head while looking at the baby blue dress that was being pulled out of my closet. "Margaret, Anna, please call me Aurora, Princess sounds so overdramatic. I am just a normal girl," I walked over to them and they nodded.

"Of course my grace," They both answered and I raised my eyebrows, "I mean, Aurora." They both ducked away from me and I turned away from them.

I walked over to my bureau and picked up my hair brush and started to comb through my hair, unknotting it. I looked at myself in the mirror, I saw them walk up behind me. I extended my arms as they unbuttoned my night gown and it fell onto the ground. I stepped into my dress and they began to button it, then pulled the strings of my corset together.

I sucked in a breath as one of the strings tightened around my chest, "Could you untighten the strings slightly, it seems I am growing out of my dress."

The door swung open and I watched my mother walk into the room, "There is my beautiful birthday girl." She ran over to me and kissed my cheek, "This dress fills you much better know, I see you've grown somewhere," She laughed and pointed at my chest.

I felt uncomfortable and placed my hand over my chest, "Mother," I hissed and she just laughed and shooed the maidens out of my room.

She finished tying the corset and I stepped down off of the pedestal, "Phillip will be in complete awe when he lays his eyes on you. I raised a beautiful daughter," She grinned and I tried to smile back but it was forced. She didn't really raise me, Diane did, more or less. Last year on my birthday, I was still living in the French Court. I've only been back in Ireland for one year, but everything seems different.

"Darling, I bought you something," She opened a little box and a tiara was placed inside. I furrowed my eyebrows together and gave her an odd look, "This is so you do not have to keep continuing to wear that one from Henry's mistress."

She tried to place it on my head but I walked away towards my other tiara, "Mother, I like this tiara." I picked it up and put it on my head but she walked towards me angrily, "Mother, I appreciate the gesture, but I will not wear any other tiara but this one."

"It is not fit for a Princess, Aurora," She barked at me but I shook my head.

"That's right, it is not fit for a Princess," I agreed with her and she smiled, thinking I was taking her side. "Lady Diane told me that it was fit for a Queen."

She pointed her finger in my face, "Do not talk to your mother with that tongue."

I rolled my eyes and walked out of my room and down the stairwell, I walked into the ballroom and spotted Phillip. He ran over to me and kissed my cheek gently, "Happy sixteenth birthday, Aurora."

"Thank you, Phillip," I grinned at him and kissed his lips gently.

He grabbed my hand in his and pulled me out of the room and into the living area and I saw a huge spin wheel in the corner. "It is a present from my country," He extended his hand towards it and I made my way over to it.

"May I have one dance before you begin spinning?" He called after me and I spun around on my foot, "Only one dance with my love."

I agreed and walked over to him, "But there is no music."

He ignored me and placed his left hand on my waist and interlocked out fingers with my left hand. I put my right hand on his shoulder and we spun around the room in complete silence. "You look breath-taking," He whispered in my ear and I stared up at him. "I am so lucky to have such a beautiful fiancé," He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

I kissed him back, "Well my fiancé is quite handsome, as well."

"I love you, Aurora. This past year has been unbelievable and I would never trade it for anything," He said in a raspy voice.

I just stared at him blankly through my eyelashes and smiled, "May I try the spin wheel now?" I asked and he let go of me and led the way towards it. I sat down on the tiny stool and he sat down beside me and I took a deep breath before beginning. "I have never done this before," I admitted and he chuckled lightly.

"You will do amazing," He said while kissing the back of my hand.

I cracked my knuckles and reached my hands out getting ready to grab the wheel in my hands. I raised my finger and poked the spindle with my finger and felt dizzy immediately. I turned my head to look at Phillip and I saw him talking but couldn't make out any words. "What-what is wrong with me?" I mumbled and toppled over. My head landed in Phillip's lap and I heard him begin screaming my name and for the guards before everything went black.

* * *

-**_Phillips's POV_****-**

I sat in the back of the carriage with Aurora, I had her hand intertwined with my own. We were being brought back to the French Court because her Father thought that would be the safest place for her. None of them knew why we were coming back, they only knew that we were planning on moving into the Court for safety.

When she fell into her slumber, we were all in shock, we still are. Her skin was still the same color, no discoloration. She looked peaceful.

We pulled up the castle and I felt the carriage pull into a complete stop, I jumped out of the carriage and I saw everyone waiting for her. "We need a stretcher," I called out to one of the guards but I saw someone walking towards me. He was one of the boys that lived in the castle, the one she was saying goodbye too for a while.

"What is wrong? Where is Aurora?" He yelled at me but I ignored him, "What did you do to her?" He pushed past me and jumped into the carriage, I listened closely. "Aurora? Hello? What is-" He emerged from the carriage, "What is wrong with her?"

"On her birthday, I don't know what it was. She was poisoned I think. She has not woken up since that moment, she just keeps sleeping. We have tried everything, she will not wake up." Panic covered his face and I bit the inside of my lip, "Her father thought that she would be safest here."

He chuckled at me, "Maybe she would be safer anywhere away from you. She has been perfectly fine the past seven years, she left for one year and now she was poisoned. Not only did you put her country in danger and force her into an engagement to save her country, but now you cannot even care for her properly."

"Oh, keep your mouth quiet, this was not in my control!" I yelled back and I heard a few guards remove their swords but I backed down and put my hands up in defense. "I never wanted to put her in any danger, I truly do care about her."

He just ignored me and two guards came back with a stretcher, Sebastian climbed in and picked her up. He carried her out of the carriage and placed her down onto the stretcher and she didn't move one inch. We both followed the guards into the infirmary and sat with her.

"I cannot believe you let this happen to her," I heard Sebastian mumble under his breath and I looked up at him.

I cleared my throat, "Will you knock of this wild goose chase? I love her, should that not be enough for your blessing. I understand that you two were close friends, but she is my fiancé. I ensure that she would not be pleased with this bickering."

He looked over at me and shook his head laughing, "If she still lived in this castle, this situation would have been avoided completely. She could have enjoyed her sixteenth birthday in peace," He put his face in the palms of his hands.

A man walked into the room, I stood up and extended my hand towards him, "Hello, I'm Prince Phillip. Aurora's fiancé."

"I know who you are, no need to add the "fiancé" part to the end," He mumbled and I heard Sebastian chuckle. "I am Nostradamus, can I ask you a few questions?" I nodded and sat back down in my chair and sat patiently.

"When did this happen?" He asked.

"Three days ago, on her sixteenth birthday," I answered. Sebastian was watching me intently as I swung my right foot back and forth under the chair.

He nodded and wrote that down in his tiny notepad, "Now tell me, did she have many enemies?"

Sebastian mumbled, "Oh you mean besides of the Germans, which include her fiancé?"

I snapped my head in his direction, "What have I ever done to you to deserve such disrespect? I have done no wrong to you nor Aurora. I just want what is best for her, as you should as well."

"I know what is best for her and believe me, it is not you." He shouted back, raising his voice slightly and I furrowed my eyebrows together.

"So you are sure that this was poison?" Nostradamus asked and I shrugged with a nod, "After the poison entered her body, she just fell asleep and never woke up?"

I looked over toward Aurora, who was still not moving, "Exactly."

"Have you tried a true love's kiss?" He asked and I shot him an odd expression, "You mean like the kisses from fairy-tales? Like Snow White?"

He nodded, "Exactly. That might just be the cure for all of this madness, you should give it a try."

He walked out of the room leaving Sebastian and I alone in the room once again, "You heard him, I should try true love's kiss, so shouldn't you be leaving?"

He threw his head back, "You know nothing, I am not leaving my best friend's side until all of this is over. Until I get to look into her blue eyes and see her smile, hear her laugh at one of my lame jokes."

I walked over to her and brushed her hair out of her face, "Well here goes nothing, Aurora. Please wake up," I muttered quietly. I closed my eyes and leaned down, pressing my lips against hers.

* * *

**_-Sebastian's POV-_**

I sat down as Nostradamus finished up diagnosing her, it was no use. She was out cold. She fell into a deep sleep and nothing could help her.

"Have you tried a true love's kiss," I heard Nostradamus ask Phillip and I looked up and directing a glare towards him.

Phillip gave him a confused look, "You mean like the kisses from fairy-tales? Like Snow White?"

Nostradamus nodded and I rolled my eyes, there was no way a "true love's kiss" would work, especially from the Prince she was being forced to marry. He wasn't her true love. I could see it, she could see it, everyone could see it, except for the Prince himself.

"Exactly," He boasted and I snapped my head back in his direction, "That might just be the cure for all of this madness, you should give it a try."

Nostradamus walked out of the infirmary leaving Phillip and me alone with Aurora, he kept staring at her lifeless body. "You heard him, I should try a true love's kiss. So shouldn't you be leaving?" He barked at me and I straightened myself up in my chair.

I leaned forward and chuckled, "You know nothing, I am not leaving my best friend's side until all of this is over. Until I get to look into her blue eyes and see her smile, hear her laugh at one of my lame jokes," I shook my head and ran my hand through my hair.

He walked over to her and pushed the hair away from her forehead, "Well here goes nothing, Aurora. Please wake up," He mumbled lowly and pressed his lips against hers. He kept them lingered there for a little longer than necessary then pulled away. He slammed his hand against the table beside her and stood up angrily. "Why did that not work?" He yelled and I looked away from him.

He stormed out of the room and into the castle, I stood up and walked over to her. I sat down on the edge of the bed and traced my fingers along the back of her hand to halfway up her arm. "Aurora, can you hear me? Move a finger or something if you're in there." She didn't move or anything, it was useless. I could feel myself losing hope and I sat down on the chair next to her. I placed my hand on top of hers and leaned my head down and closed my eyes.

"When you said that this wasn't goodbye, but I'll see you again, this isn't really what I imagined," I whispered even though she couldn't hear me. "Please wake up, Aurora, we're running out of options."

I lifted my head to look at her and I felt tears fogging up my vision, "Well it is worth a shot," I shook my head and leaned up. I bent down over her and grazed my fingertips along her cheek, I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers.

I pulled away and I heard her take a deep breath and her eyelids fluttered open, she opened her eyes and looked at me. She kept taking small breaths and she was staring at me in shock, "Bash?" She mumbled barely audible.

I broke into a wide, childish grin immediately and I leaned down and pressed my forehead against her bare shoulder. "Yes, Aurora. Thank God, you woke up," I muttered and looked back up at her.

"What happened? Why-why am I here? Where's Phillip?" She tried leaning up but I pushed her back down so she couldn't move. "Bash, what is going on?"

I helped her up and she awaited my answer, "Apparently you were poisoned on your birthday. No one knows who the perpetrator is yet. Your Father sent you here because he believed you'd be safest here," I replied and she nodded.

She pulled my face into hers and kissed me, I put my hand under her chin and kissed her harder. "I am so glad that it was you who awakened me," She admitted and I grinned at her.

"Shut up," I said sternly and kissed her more passionately. She tangled her fingers in the back of my hair and I bit her bottom lip slightly.

I heard footsteps enter the room and we both pulled away quickly, we turned to look at the person in the doorway, "Aurora?"

She swallowed hard staring back at him, "Phillip."


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five – The Truth Unfolds**

I stared blankly at the man who was in the middle of the doorway, his shoulder was leaned up against the frame. His jaw was clenched tightly and his eyes were burning holes through the back of Bash's head. I threw my feet off the side of the bed and pushed myself off and started to walk towards him. He turned away from me and walked out of the room so I picked up the bottom of my dress and ran to catch up to him. "Phillip," I called after him but he ignored me, "Please just hear me out."

He turned around angrily, whipping his head in my direction, "Hear you out? Do you have any idea what it is like to walk into a room to find your fiancé kissing some bastard child of the King?"

I straightened myself up, "Do not speak of Bash like that."

"Oh yes, defend the man that just caused you to cheat on your fiancé," He spat in my face and started to walk away, once again. I followed him and reached for his arm to halt him but he ripped his arm away from my grasp and pushed me up against the wall forcefully. "I will not let my future bride act out in this sort of matter, do you understand me?"

He put his arm across my neck so I couldn't move and I gasped out for air, "Phillip. You-you are hurting me." I tried to free myself but that just caused him to push harder against me, "Let go of me this instant, Phillip."

He chuckled darkly, "I shall be your King one day, why don't you try showing me some respect?" He let go of me and I fell forward slightly before leaning back up to look him in the eyes.

"Respect cannot just be given, it must be earned," I hissed back at him and he rolled his eyes. He grabbed my arm and added a lot of pressure to my forearm and I cried out in pain, "Phillip, stop!"

He grabbed me by my chin and forced me to look up at him, "You want me to show you some respect?" I swallowed hard and tried to look away from him, "Here is your respect." He raised his opposite hand and slapped me across the face and I fell down onto the ground. I pushed my back against the wall and looked up at him, "You do not deserve my respect. You are a manky hoor." I scrunched up my face when he called me that, I was not a whore.

He walked away from me and out the door, leaving me laying down against the wall. I leaned my head back against it and closed my eyes. I grazed my fingers along my eye and pressed down gently, but it pained me greatly.

I heard footsteps walking into the room and I looked up, Francis was standing at the bottom of the stairs and ran towards me. "Aurora, are you alright?"

He tried to grab my hand but I pushed him away and covered my face with my hair, I stood up quickly and straightened my dress. I looked up at him and he touched my eye lightly with his thumb but I winced away from his touch. "Do not speak of this to anyone," I pleaded and tilted his head to the side.

"Who did this to you?" He demanded and I slouched my shoulders forward and tried to hold back the tears I felt stinging my eyes. "Aurora, you must tell me who laid their hand on you. I will not justify such actions in my Court."

I heard another set of footsteps walking my way, I looked up and saw a young girl. She had dark brown hair that was curled down her back with a matching set of brown eyes. Her complexion was olive toned and was wearing a white gown with a red flower crown on her head. "Francis, I was wondering if-" She stopped talking and stared at me. "What has happened?"

Francis pulled his hand away from me and looked at the young woman, "Mary, this is Aurora of Ireland. Aurora, this is Mary, Queen of Scots, my fiancé."

I smiled at her but Mary took a step closer to me and placed her hand on my cheek, "What has happened to your eye?" She looked down at me and I let my head hang low.

I sighed, "It is not of import." I pushed Francis out of my way and started to walk back towards the infirmary, "I must find Bash." I walked into the room and Bash was sitting on the bed impatiently, as soon as he saw me, he smiled brightly.

"I was beginning to think that you forgot about me," He teased and I walked over to him. He batted the hair out of my face and saw the bruise that was being formed under my eye. "Aurora, what is wrong?"

I took a deep breath and sat down next to him on the bed, "Phillip was angry about the kiss. He told me that I should not be getting it off with another man, I completely understand that."

He turned around and grabbed my face in his hands and wiped away a few stray tears that were running down my cheeks. "Did he lay a hand on you?" He asked angrily and I pulled his hand away from my cheek, "Aurora, tell me if he hurt you."

"Bash, it does not matter if he did or not, you cannot do anything about it. I was in the wrong," I dropped my head down lowly, ashamed of myself.

He stood up from the bed angrily and started to pace back and forth around the room, "I will not stand for this nonsense. He does not come barging into our country and hurting the woman that he is soon to be wedded. He may be your fiancé, but this does not justify his actions."

"I cannot do anything about this Bash, I need to marry him in order to keep my country safe. If I break off this engagement, I will lose our alliance with Germany. And for what? Because I spoke when I was not allowed?" I argued, raising my voice. I pushed myself off of the bed and started to walk out of the room but he pulled me back by my shoulders.

I pulled away from his grip and spun around, "Aurora, you should not be put into a situation like this. You do not deserve to be treating with little respect."

I pointed to my eye, "This is the respect I deserve. He did this because I spoke my mind, I cannot keep disobeying his orders. I will not stand for a relationship that tolerates abuse, if I need to listen to him, than that is what I shall do."

"I am glad to hear that you agree with my orders," I heard Phillip say behind me. He walked over to me and placed his hand on my back and kissed my neck. I pulled away but he yanked me back towards him, "Would you mind, bastard?" He directed towards Bash.

Bash's expression dropped quickly with the mention of "bastard", I swallowed hard and sent him and apologetic look. Bash walked out of the room and I looked up at my fiancé, I placed my hands on his chest and fixed his collar.

"I apologize about the occurrences from earlier, it shall never happen again. There will never be an encounter with another man besides you, my Lord," I kissed his lips and he kissed me back hard, pushing me up against the door.

He moved his hands up my sides and gripped my dress with his hands and pulled it up, I pushed it back down and moved my head away from him. He started to kiss my neck and I pushed him off of me, "Stop pushing me away."

He went back to kissing my neck and untied the bow in the back of my corset and I felt it loosen slightly, I gasped out. "Phillip, this is not you," I pushed him off of my once more but he struck me with his hand once again.

I covered my face with my hands and he pushed me forcefully against the wall and I slammed the back of my head against it. "I want you to stop seeing Sebastian," He barked through his gritted teeth and I let out a sob. "Stop crying," He said slapping me again, "Do you understand, if I find you with that bastard again, you will wish that this is as bad as it would get." He walked out of the room slamming the door behind him and I clutched my stomach in my hand and fell to the floor crying.

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_Author's Note: Well there you have it. Phillip may not be that Prince in shining armor after all. Thank you again for all of the follows, favorites and reviews! it really does mean so much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, leave more lovely reviews please :) What do you think of this new behavior of Phillip's? How do you think Aurora should handle this? Leave me your thoughts and any requests on what you would like to see in future chapters! Thank you darlings._


	6. Chapter Six

_Author's Note: To answer some of the questions in the reviews. Yes, there will be some Francis and Mary in this, but not too much because this is about Aurora/Bash. Also, I'm not exactly a Frary shipper either haha. _

_But again, thank you so much for all the positive feedback. I know I say this all the time, but it does mean so much to me to hear your thoughts! So continue doing so :) You guys are my motivation to keep going with this and I'm so happy that you guys like it._

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**Chapter Six – Keeping Distance**

I walked up the stairs and into my bedroom and the room was empty so I decided to get a hot bath, I called for the maids and they helped me get out of my dress. I walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind me, I turned the water on and slipped out of my gown. I climbed into the bathtub and leaned back letting the water from the faucet run over my hair.

I heard a knock on the door and I sat up, "Hello?" I called out and I heard the door handle begin to rattle. "Who is there?" I called out again and the door swung open. I jumped back when I saw Francis run into the room, "What?" I shouted, "What do you want?"

He handed me a towel and I sighed, "Get dressed," He demanded and I sunk my shoulders and leaned back into the water fully. "This is important, Aurora."

I leaned up and grabbed the towel out of his hand, I stood up as I wrapped the towel around my body. I extended my hand and he helped me out of the tub, "What could possibly so important that you had to rush into my private bathroom?" He glanced away quickly and I inhaled a deep breath, "What has happened to Bash?"

"Please, just get to the infirmary as quickly as possible," He scurried out of the bathroom and I bit my lips and unplugged the tub so it drained the water. I walked into my bedroom and got dressed into a green gown. I brushed my hair and let it fall onto my shoulders and was about to walk out of the room when Phillip walked in.

I went to walk passed him but he stopped me, "Where are you going?" He asked grabbing my wrist and tightening his grip. I pulled away from him and looked up at him, "I am going out for a walk, my Lord."

He examined me for a while and I swallowed hard, "Very well."

I walked out of the room quickly and down the hall, I ran down the stairwell and down the hallway. I turned the corner quickly and past a few guards.

I ran down the rest of the hallway and into the infirmary, I rushed in and saw Bash laying on the bed with a wound in his abdomen. I covered my mouth with my hand and hurried over to him, but Francis held me back away from him. "What happened to him?" I asked, my eyes grew wide staring at the boy who was sweating profusely.

His eyes were shut and he looked peaceful, "Nostradamus gave him something a while ago so he could rest." Francis explained and I shook my head and he pulled me into him to calm me down.

"How did this happen?" I asked looking up at him and he petted the back of my hair.

He pulled away from me so I would look at him, "Take deep breaths, Aurora. The troops my father sent, they were ambushed."

I looked over at him then to Nostradamus, "Is he going to be okay?" I asked weakly and Nostradamus glanced at me then away and I sighed, "I have not seen him in a week and this is what happens. I should have never left his side."

"You were protecting yourself, your country," I shook my head and thought that was not a good enough excuse for my absence. "You had to do what you had to do, he understood that completely, do not worry. He will get better," Francis said grabbing my face in his hands and I nodded slightly trying to stop the tears from coming.

I heard Bash move and I ran over to his side and grabbed his hand, I stroked my thumb along the back of his hand and his eyes fluttered open. His blue-green eyes looked straight into mine and I sighed in relief and moved his bangs off his forehead. "So this," He tried to say out loud but started to cough obnoxiously and I put my finger to my lips signaling him to stay quiet.

"Sh, Bash," I said caressing his cheek with my free hand. "Do not talk," I said but he ignored my wishes and cleared his throat.

He whispered, "So this is what I needed to do in order to see you again." I chuckled at him and laid my head on his chest, "How are you?"

I snapped my head to look at him and tilted my head to the side, "How am I?" I asked in misbelief and he quirked an eyebrow, "You could be on your death bed, yet you still care more about me rather than yourself."

He shook his head and narrowed his eyes, "Answer the question. How are you?"

I shrugged and sank my shoulders forward, "The same as before." I pulled the sleeve of my dress up revealing a bruise around my wrist and he grabbed it in his hand lightly and rubbed his thumb along it. "I am fine though, I can handle myself."

He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips, "Oh, that I am fully aware of."

I smiled and stood up, "I must be getting back to Phillip before he grows suspicious." I kissed Bash on the cheek, "I will try and visit, but I cannot make many promises on my behalf."

He nodded, "I know, I will not wait up for you," I chuckled before walking away and out of the infirmary and down the hallway. I walked back to my room slowly and opened the door to find Phillip in there, shirtless.

I closed my eyes quickly and covered my face, "Oh, my apologies, sir. I was not aware of your indecencies," I felt an arm wrapped around my waist and the door shut. I felt him pull me into the room fully and he pushed me onto the bed and I bounced up staring at him. "What are you doing?"

He leaned over me and kissed me and I started to kiss him back after a few seconds passed. He started to kiss down my neck to my chest and I felt his hand moving up the skirt of my dress, I pushed him away from me and he looked at me. "Stop it, you are well aware that this cannot happen until we are married or else the treaty is off."

"No one has to know," He answered abruptly and I pushed him off of me and tried to roll off the bed. He grabbed me and pushed me against the bed and put both of his hands around my wrists so I could not fight him off. "What did I say about the pushing?"

"I told you to stop," I shouted and he moved both of my hands into his one and covered my mouth with the other. I tried to scream but it came out muffled and I tried to fight myself free from his grip. I bit his hand with my teeth and he yanked his hand away and breathed through his nose.

He raised his hand and slapped me across the face once again and I cried out, he stood up and walked out of the room. I sat up and wiped the tears away from my eyes and stood up and fixed my dress and walked over to the mirror. I could see a bruise already forming, I walked into the bathroom and wet a rag and pressed it to my eye. I winced when the water touched my skin and I took a deep breath. I walked back into the bedroom, Mary was standing in the doorway.

"Oh, I am so sorry for barging in like this, I just. I needed to talk to someone that is not a friend or part of the Court," She said as she took a step back.

I pulled the rag off of my eye and placed down on my bureau, "No please, come in." She walked in fully and I pointed towards an empty chair and she sat down, "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

She sighed and I walked over to my bed and sat down on the edge of it, "It is Tomas. He won the competition and asked me to marry him, which is incredible because my country would be safe. But it's just a part of me that doesn't want this, you know?"

I chuckled and she looked up at me confused, "Marrying a man for the goodness of your country, is that not always the reason nowadays?" She nodded and I cleared my throat, "I am not one of the best candidates that you should be talking to, certainly not this topic."

"I know that you are in the same situation with Phillip, which is why I needed your guidance," She added and I stood up.

"Unfortunately, Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses do not have the luxury of finding what's best for them. I am sure that this decision will be hard, but I ensure you that nothing I can say will help you figure out what is best. I am being forced to marry a man that is abusing me, purely to keep my country safe," I admitted. "Please do not follow my example, I would not want this life for anyone."

She nodded and stood up, "Thank you, Aurora."

I smiled and she walked towards the door but turned before she walked out, "Anytime, Mary."

She left the bedroom and I laid down on my bed, laying on my back and staring at the white ceiling. I sat up and took a deep breath, "I just want to be a normal girl," I sighed and threw myself back against the bed once again and closed my eyes.

Once I was ready for the costume party, I walked out of my room and Phillip was standing by the door, leaned up against the wall. I curtsied, "Good evening, my Lord," He kissed my lips quickly and I stood up straight.

He held out his arm and I intertwined mine with his as we made our way downstairs towards the party. I greeted Francis while Phillip walked away from me to go talk to some of the officials in the Court. "How are you holding up with him?" He whispered in my ear and I moved my mask to my face, covering it from everyone else.

"As well as I can," I answered and he nodded. "How is Bash doing? I feel horrible that I haven't the time to go visit him."

He pulled the mask away from my face and smiled, "Bash has made a solid recovery. He should be coming in at any moment," He looked at someone who was behind me and I whipped my head around and saw him. He smiled immediately and made his way towards us, "Brother."

He took my hand and kissed the back of it before standing up straight, "Hello, you look beautiful as always, Aurora."

"Why thank you," I curtsied and put the mask back on, "You do not look to shabby yourself."

I dismissed myself away from them and walked over to where Mary's Ladies were and stood beside them. I overheard them talking and I listened closely, "Have you seen that Prince from Germany that is here?" I heard one say and I looked over towards them.

"Yes, why?" The one answered, I think her name is Lola.

The blonde cheerfully answered, "We have had a small romance going for a few weeks. Last night, he snuck into our chamber and we went out into the garden then the boathouse," I swallowed hard as I was listening.

"What happened?" The other blonde, Greer, asked.

She smiled at her friends, "I am no longer a virgin, it was wonderful. He is such a sweetheart, I think he might ask me to marry him." I threw my head back in a chuckle and they all glanced over at me, "I am sorry, do we know you?" She asked and I took the mask off of my face.

"No, I do not think that we have met before. I am Aurora, Princess of Ireland," I held out my hand and she swallowed hard before they all curtsied before me.

She looked over at her friends before introducing herself, "I am Aylee. One of Queen Mary's Ladies-in-Waiting. Did something I say amuse you?"

I shook my head, "Nothing of importance, but do indeed, have a lovely time with the Prince. I hear he has a wonderful grip on things," I smiled which caused her to give me a confused look before I walked away.

Bash walked over to me and began to walk next to me, "Would you care to explain what that was all about?"

I looked over at him and shook my head, "No. I do not believe that I have to relay every conversation I have unto you, you are not my Lord."

"But that I am," I heard from in front of me and I looked up to see Phillip standing in front of us. He looked over at Bash then back down to me, "I thought I was clear when I told you to mind your business away from him?"

Bash took a step forward, but I held out my hand across his chest stopping him, "You think that striking a lady is proper behavior for a man that will someday be King?"

"I do not know, I would ask a proper man, but you do not fit in that area, you bastard," He muttered to Bash through gritted teeth. "I admire your honor to this one girl though, I find it inspiring. That you will go to any ends to please the girl that could never love you."

I swallowed hard and Bash looked at me with pleading eyes, "I think that it would be best for you to go your separate ways, Sebastian. Your presence is no longer needed for I am in hands of an honorable man."

Bash rolled his eyes and walked away from us and Phillip pulled me into an empty room, closing the door behind him and leaning against it. "I thought I was quite clear when I explained my dislike for that bastard. I do not want to see you with him ever again or else this engagement, this alliance with Germany, is over. Do you understand me?"

I nodded, "Of course, my Lord."

"Now, are there any further questions before we go out and continue this party?" He shouted and I stayed mute. "I do not take silence as an appropriate answer," He stalked his way towards me and I braced myself.

"Did you sleep with Aylee?" I shouted and he stopped and looked at me with wide eyes. "Mary's Lady, did you sleep with her?" He just stood there quietly and I nodded, laughing to myself. I walked away from him and towards the door but turned to face him, "Is this how our marriage is going to play out? You having a line of mistresses and I shall be left all alone," I yelled.

He walked over to me but I slapped him across the face, he turned his head away from me and I felt tears beginning to run down my cheeks. "You are the bastard, Phillip. For God help me, if there is any loophole out of this marriage, I will find it and I will bring you down. I don't care if putting my country in danger is at risk because that is a risk that is worth taking. I am sick and tired of being bullied by the likes of you. I am not some object that can be bargained for, I am a human, a young girl."

"You would put the lives of your entire country because I may have hit you one too many times?" He yelled and I tilted my head to the left. His eyes were glossy with tears threatening to fall, the first time he gave emotion.

I swallowed hard, "I want my country to be safe, but I want to be happy, as well. I wanted this marriage in the beginning, I thought you wanted it too. But this is over, I am done being some puppet in your master plan to overtake Ireland."

I opened the door and walked out but I stopped and turned around and walked back in, "No, forget all of that. We shall get married, like how we initially planned. I can join in with making this marriage a living Hell, but the tables turned. I am playing by my rules now."

I walked out of the room again and I heard him shout from the distance, "Game on, Aurora. The game is officially on."

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_Author's Note: Aurora has finally taken a stand against Phillip. What do you think the next move will be in this never ending Chess Match? _


	7. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven – A Chess Match**

I stared at the laced white dress in the mirror, it was gorgeous. My shoulders were bare and the dress went straight across my chest, I pulled on a pair of laced gloves that went up to my elbows. Diane curled my hair and let it fall loosely against my back.

I turned around and she smiled brightly at me, "You know I've missed helping you get ready for events like this. It was always a thrill dressing not only myself, but a young beautiful girl like yourself."

"I missed having a mother that actually cared about me," I admitted and she took my cheeks in her hand. "You were the mother that I always needed, you actually cared for me."

"You should probably be getting outside, you do not want to miss the ceremony," She said placing jewelry on my head.

I nodded and walked out of the house, I walked along the pavement and I saw Bash in the distance but I looked away from him. I walked past him quickly and he turned around and started to chase me down the road. "Hey, hey, hey," He screamed and grabbed my arm and forced me to look at him. "I thought this whole distance thing was over with? I thought you put Phillip in his place." He was wearing a brown leather guard over his shoulders with brown pants and his boots.

I pushed him away from me and looked up at him, "Bash, yes that is what I did." He arched an eyebrow not understanding and I sighed, "But I cannot be around you, especially right now."

"Why is that?" He yelled as I started to walk away from him once again.

I tangled my fingers in my hair and turned to him, "Listen to me, I need to protect my country. I cannot let an obstacle get in my way of the main goal."

"So I still need to stay away from you?" He shook his head, "This is not what you want, I can tell that by how you are looking at me right now. Stop looking at me like that!" He screamed as he extended his arms outwards.

I looked away from him, "Like what?"

He grabbed my face in his hands and made me look at him, I tried to keep my eyes off of him but I eventually gave up. I pouted and stared at him weakly, "You keep looking at me like I am wounded, but I am not. So stop treating me like some toy that needs to be fixed, I am fine. You do not need to worry about my safety, I am more than capable of handling myself."

"What if I do not stay away from you?" I barked at him and he stopped talking, "Then not only am I putting my country in danger, but France would be in danger too. Unlike Francis and Mary, nothing that we do could protect each other. You are not in the running for a crown, I cannot be with you. I need to look out for my country and I have to stay away from you to so, so be it."

"So what, now that is it?" He yelled after me but I kept walking, "We bid our farewells and never encounter one another ever again? After all that we have been through, you are just giving it up?"

I felt a single tear roll down my cheek and I took a deep breath to try and steady my breathing, "That is what I was trying to convey. Farewell, Sebastian," I called and kept walking away from him, I wiped the tear away from my eye and kept my head tall.

When I got down to the stables, there were people crowding the area, I saw Mary with her Ladies. I walked over towards them and Mary smiled brightly as she saw me approaching. "Aurora, I was wondering if I would see you here. Come and join us," She extended her hand and pulled me along with her and her friends.

Aylee gave me an odd look but I just brushed it off as Mary directed us towards an older man and he explained the boats to Mary. "And then you write your regrets on this ribbon, then tie them to the stern and watch as they sail away."

Mary smiled, "Aw, that's lovely tradition."

"Mary," I heard someone call from behind us and I turned around to see Bash walking over to us. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that you were actually enjoying your time in Court."

"Enjoying the Harvest Festival," Kenna added and he looked around at all of us.

Bash spoke, "Kenna, Aylee, Greer, Lola," He said cheerfully but then glanced at me who was standing between Aylee and Mary. "Hello, Aurora," He said without any sign of emotion and I swallowed hard and nodded back towards him.

Mary smiled and I looked over at her, "As a matter of fact, I am. Hello Bash," He watched her intently and I pursed my lips together, trying to remain calm.

"So what's brought about this change?" He asked, raising his eyebrows, "Not that I'm complaining. To see you smile is to feel the sun, your Grace."

I felt Mary chuckle from next to me, "Do you flirt with everyone?" She asked and I rolled my eyes and tilted my head to the side, resting it on my shoulder.

He grinned, "Absolutely everyone," But his eyes flicked over to me for a moment before glancing away quickly when I caught his gaze. I could tell that the tension that was between us was bothering him and affecting him greatly, along with me.

"Well, you'll find I'm not difficult to please," She added and he looked back over to Mary. "Just don't make an attempt on my life and you'll find I'm quite gay."

He lifted his cup lightly, "Oh, is that all it takes?"

"That and your brother," She blushed.

Bash nodded and leaned back, "Well I hope to get sourced at your wedding," He raised his glass and looked at all of us before he walked away. I turned towards Mary and placed my hand over hers and said goodbye before stalking after him. "Did I say something wrong, my Grace?" He slowed down so I could catch up to him which caused me to roll my eyes.

"Do not use that tone with me," I hissed towards him and he glanced over quickly before stopping at a table. "Now, explain the real reason behind flirting with Mary," I looked up at him and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Like I said," He lifted his hand and tucked a piece of hair behind me ear and smiled, "I flirt with absolutely everyone," He leaned down and whispered in my ear.

I rolled my eyes and sighed, "That I am fully aware of, but the troubling part is why you sounded sincere in doing so."

He placed his hands down on the table and shuffled in his boots for a second before returning his attention towards me, "Perhaps I fancy her. Did that ever cross your mind? Now don't you have a Prince that you should be pursuing?"

I clenched my jaw shut and turned away from him angrily, only to find my Prince with someone else on his arm. I squinted my eyes and noticed that he was walking with Aylee, I stood up straight extended my neck higher and made my way over towards them. "My Lord," I curtsied in front of him and she smiled at me.

She grabbed my hand in hers, squeezing it lightly, "Aurora, this is that Prince that I was telling you about the other day. Phillip, this is one of Mary's acquaintances," He looked down at me with a devilish grin on his face.

I looked up at him and placed my hand on his chest lightly, "Darling, could we possibly talk somewhere a bit more private?" I flirted as I batted my eyelashes.

Aylee cleared her throat and looked between us, "Excuse me? Phillip, what is she babbling on about?"

I turned to her politely, "Sweetheart, you see, the Prince here has been leaving out a lot of important details. For one, he is engaged to the Princess of Ireland. I am truly sorry for the inconvenience of this situation entirely."

Her face flushed immediately then she turned and ran out of the room as quickly as possible, I smiled up to my fiancé and he didn't look very pleased. "That was not necessary, she had done no wrong," He put his arm around my shoulders and lead me over to a table.

"Well my Lord, I was only claiming what is rightfully mine," I looked up at him innocently and he shook his head. "I will not stand for any mistreatments that I acknowledge coming my way. I will not sit back and watch as you pleasure yourself," I answered strongly.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear, "Yet I can sit back and watch you pine over that bastard. But if I were to speak of it, I would be in the wrong."

"I do not pine over Sebastian," I complained in his direction loudly and I could feel eyes shifting in our direction but I brushed them off. I took a deep breath, "And even if that were the case, I am being completely committed to you. You mustn't worry about Bash, he is not in my peak of interest."

He looked across the room and I followed his eyes with my own, I saw him stare at Bash. Bash was watching us intently, "You are not the one I worry about. He cares for you and if I feel threatened by his presence," He started to walk away but turned to me one last time, "Who knows what I would do."

I marched after him furiously, "Did I just hear a threat?"

He raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth slightly before closing it again and jutting out his bottom lip, "I suggest that you would not want to find out."

He walked away from me and out of the stables and I closed my eyes. I opened them back up and looked around the Festival. I heard someone run into the room and I looked over and saw Francis running away from Mary and towards her. I took a step forward about to make my way over to Mary when I saw Bash walk up to her. I halted in place and stared at them as they talked, I saw him look over at me and I backed away quickly and ran out of there.

I was walking along the shoreline of the lake alone for about an hour, I sat down on a log by a tree. I heard footsteps approaching and I raised my head to see who it was. Once I realized, I rolled my eyes and put my head back in my folded arms.

"I find your hiding spots have not changed much throughout the years," I heard him say and I didn't look up in his direction. "You cannot keep ignoring me," He sat down beside me and I scooted away from him.

I raised my head slightly but still didn't look up at him, "I can try."

He touched my arm and I flinched away when I felt the touch, "Aurora, I cannot keep pretending like this is okay. When it is the complete and utter opposite."

I looked over at him and he had a pleading gaze in his eyes, I sighed and tangled my fingers in my hair. "I don't want to either, but it is what needs to be done."

"How can you say that? You spent all of this time trying to fight him, but now that you won, you are just going to give up?" He asked angrily and I shot my eyes to him.

I furrowed my eyebrows together, "I am not giving up. I am still in this battle and I do not see a way of coming out of this a winner. Either I beat him and lose you or I lose both of you, neither way am I coming out of this as a winner. I need to do what is best for me."

Bash took my hand in his and squeezed it, "You are not losing me, under any circumstances. I am in this for the long haul, I am not going anywhere."

I pulled away and chuckled to myself, "You do not understand, Bash. He has made official threats now because he can tell how deeply I care for you. He knows how much we mean to one another." I swallowed hard and shut my eyes tightly, "You are my weakness."

He grabbed my hand and interlocked our fingers but I pulled away quickly, "Aurora," He demanded but I ignored him, "Look at me!"

I looked over at him and stood up, he stood immediately but I put my hand on his chest halting him. "This is my final goodbye, I am serious."

"You cannot say goodbye, I will not-" I cut him off.

"I can and I am doing it," I intervened strongly and his face dropped, "Goodbye Bash," I walked past him and up the hill back towards the Castle.

I saw Phillip from the distance and I walked over to him, lifting my dress up over the grass and curtsying in front of him. He extended his arm for mine and I linked mine through his and he kissed my cheek gently, "I believe that you have done what you should have."

I looked up at him through my eyelashes and nodded, "Yes. You would be pleased to know that it is officially done. I tore out every connection I ever had with Bash, it is over."

"Good," He said as we gathered around groups of people and I looked away from him and tried to hold back tears. I could feel them coming so I raised my hand and wiped my eyes quickly but he watched me, "I hope that was not a tear that you just shed."

"Of course not, my Lord," I raised my head and he had his eyes locked on mine. I walked in front of him so I was face to face, "I have no regrets, if that is what you are hinting at."

He grabbed my face in his hands and kissed me gently, "I am truly happy."

He walked away from me and I saw him making his way towards Aylee, she looked up at him and smiled weakly. He held out his hand for her and signaled for them to walk to somewhere private, she glanced over at me. I waved my hand for you to go and she looked back up at him and grinned. I watched as they walked towards the castle.

I felt an arm grab my shoulder and I threw my head back, "Bash, I thought I was clear when I told you to leave me alone! How many times do I have-" I whipped my head around to find a blonde standing in front of me. "Francis?" I asked confused, "What is wrong?"

"I am sorry to hear about trouble in paradise with my brother," He nodded and I rolled my eyes, "But I have a question. Have you see Mary?"

I shrugged, "No, I have not seen her since earlier. Why, is everything alright?"

He shook his head, "No, I lost my temper when I shouldn't. She just irritates me like no other," He mumbled and I laughed. "I think you could compare in that department, I mean you do put up with my brother a lot more than others."

"Your brother is a piece of work, that is all I will say," I pointed my finger in his face and he laughed. "Do you want me to help you find her?"

He nodded and we walked over to one of her friends, Lola. He asked her if she has seen Mary, but she declines. We searched for a little longer until we were about to give up, "Where would she be?" He asked me and I shrugged.

"Maybe Bash has seen her?" I suggested and he shook his head in agreement, "He is still probably where I left him last. Follow me," We walked down the hill and towards the shoreline, when he came into view but he wasn't alone.

I stopped in place and he ran into me and we both stared at Bash and Mary sitting on the log, _our log_, kissing. I took a step backwards and walked right into him so he took a step to the left and I kept walking backwards away from them. Francis looked towards me, "Aurora? Are you okay?"

I felt tears stinging my eyes and I shook my head, "I-I need to go."

I ran away from there leaving Francis to watch as Mary and Bash kissed again. I ran into the castle and turned the corner quickly and leaned up against the wall and felt tears streaming down my cheeks. I knew I was selfish, crying over a man that I let go.

I shook my head furiously and wiped the tears away from my eyes and took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. I went to walk into a room but I heard talking coming from inside so I paused and listened closely when I realized who it was.

He was talking to a guard, but I have never seen the guard before around the Castle. I peeked into the room without letting either of them notice me. "Well, I do not know what they want me to do. The poison did not work," I heard him say and I narrowed my eyes.

"Your father is not pleased, this was supposed to take out the threat," The guard replied in a rougher voice. "This poison was supposed to kill the Princess, not put her into a deep slumber especially one with that of a remedy," He said and I took a step back and leaned against the wall and closed my eyes.

I heard Phillip speak next, "You think I don't know that? I want her dead just as much as the rest of our kingdom and I will make that happen. I promise that."

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_Author's Note: I could not thank you enough for all of the reviews and support so far, I am so glad that you are enjoying my story! Now we finally know who actually poisoned Aurora. Anyone think that it could have been Phillip? What do you think will happen now? Will Bash and Aurora get past this?_


	8. Chapter Eight

**Chapter Eight – Tables Turned**

I stepped away from the door quickly and ran down the hallway and out of the castle, I stopped as soon as I was outside. I put my hand to my stomach and tried to steady my breathing but there was no use, I felt like I was going to be sick.

I ran down the stairs and onto the grass and Mary and Francis just set sail to their boats full of regret. Mary's was probably full of the regret of just kissing Bash minutes beforehand. I ran onto the grass, past Francis who was walking towards the castle with Olivia. He flashed me a worried look but I brushed it off and kept my pace towards the crowd.

My cheeks were probably flushed and my eyes were teary, I felt no use in holding them back any longer. I strode past everyone and walked over to the empty log where Bash no longer was and sat down. I clenched my hand on my stomach and started to sob.

I heard a tree branch snap under a boot of someone making their way over to me. I didn't even bother looking up at them, "I want to be alone, please." My voice was shaky and cracked in the middle of my sentence.

The footsteps grew closer and I hung my head down low, so they couldn't see me. "I was just coming to check on you, you looked upset when you were walking down here." I raised my head slightly to make eye contact with him but he saw the tears immediately, "What happened?"

He moved over to me quickly but I stuck my hand out, stopping him, "Bash, I just want to be alone right now."

"I know that isn't true," He said innocently and went to sit beside me.

I looked up at him, "Well did you ever come to the realization that when I tell you I want to be alone, that I truly mean it. Or is that too hard of a command to grasp?" I knew that I snapped on him, but I couldn't help it. I wanted to be alone.

He threw his head back quickly as he took a step backwards away from me, "As you wish." He bowed forward extending his hand arm in front of him and walking away.

I stood up and cleared my throat before he was out of view, "Bash," I called and he turned to look at me. "Tomorrow, meet me here before sunset."

He nodded with a small smile and walked away back towards the castle, I waited a few minutes before making my way back as well.

The following day, I waited at the log for what felt like hours, but he never showed up. I haven't heard from him all day, along with Francis and Mary. Phillip went home to Germany for a weekend, so I was alone the entire day.

I was getting ready to go to bed when I heard a rattling at my door, I walked over and opened it up to find Bash standing on the other side. He looked flustered, "You decided to show up."

"May we talk?" He asked walking into the room fully, without invitation and sat down on the edge of my bed. I looked outside to see if there were any guards around, when the coast was clear, I shut the door and turned around to him.

"I need to talk to you about something too," I announced and took a seat next to him and he stared blankly in front of him.

He swallowed hard before playing with his hands nervously, "I-I murdered someone today. Plus another man, when he figured out I was the King's bastard." I stood up and started to walk away from him but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back to him. "You do not have to be afraid of me. I did what I had to."

"I am not afraid of you, Bash," I stammered and he looked up at me and I took a large gulp. "Why did you have to kill someone? What happened?"

He stood up and stood tall in front of me, "Those murders that were in the woods, they were Pagan sacrifices. I saved someone and I had to pay the price."

"But you are not a Pagan, why would they make you sacrifice someone?"

He glanced away, "My mother used to practice the Pagan religion, before she became a Catholic for the King. I disrupted the order of their sacrifices so I had to pay or else they would kill someone I cared about, they threatened Mary's life."

I nodded, "Mary."

"Yes, you see yesterday after we got into that fight, I, we-" I cut him off, "I know that you kissed Mary. I was there with Francis. I saw it."

He looked over at me with an apologetic stare, "But that is now in the past. You are free to do whatever it is that pleases you, I made my choice."

He caressed his fingers along my cheekbone and I stared up at him, "Perhaps we both made the wrong choice."

He pressed his forehead against mine and I leaned up but then pulled away quickly, "You came here to talk and I am still engaged."

"You wanted to talk yesterday, what was it about? What happened that made you want to be alone?" I backed away from him and slouched forward.

"It is about Phillip," I answered which made him roll his eyes. I placed my hand on his arm and he looked at me, "I want to end the engagement."

His eyebrows raised slightly and his jaw dropped open, "What changed your mind?"

I looked away from him, "I do not want to be a Princess anymore. I do not want to be anything other than a normal sixteen year old girl. I overheard him talking yesterday, to one of his guards," He was listening intently and nodding along to every word. "He was the one who poisoned me back home in Ireland, I think he is trying to start a war with France now because of you and that's why we came here."

"He was the one who poisoned you?" He asked, I could hear the anger and power in his voice. I nodded slowly and his hand clenched into a fist, "I will kill him."

I touched his chest, "You've done enough of that today. I want to leave, we can leave here, together."

He looked down at me confused, his fist loosened and hung down and grazed my hand lightly. His eyes widened and I could see a blush being formed, "Together?"

I nodded with a bright grin, "Yes, you and me. We can leave France and be normal, young adults. We can have everything we always dreamed about, but most importantly, I will have you."

He pressed his lips against mine, "And I will have you."

I leaned up and kissed his lips gently and he hesitated before kissing me back. He put his hand on my lower back and pulled me into him and I ran my fingers through the back of his hair. I deepened the kiss and pushed him back onto the edge of my bed and he was sitting down. He pulled me on top of him and rolled over so I was laying under him. He wrapped his left arm under my body and pulled me with him to the top of the bed. I laid back against my pillows and he kissed me again and he ran his hands down my sides.

I rolled over onto my side so he could untie my corset, he pressed his lips against my bare shoulder blade and I leaned back against him. "Are you sure that you want to go through with this?" He whispered in my ear and I nodded.

"Yes," He pulled on the strings loose and I gasped out when he connected his lips to the back of my ear. "I am completely sure about this," I felt the corset untie and I slipped out of it quickly and turned back around towards him.

He let his fingers glide along my jawline and I leaned my cheek against his warm touch, "Tell me when to stop." He moved his hand down to my collarbone slowly and down my arm to my hand and interlocked our fingers.

"That will not be necessary," I whispered back and he kissed my chest and kept moving down lower to my stomach and I moaned lightly. He kissed my lips once again and whispered, "I'll try and be gentle." He let out a giggle as he nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck and I started to cackle loudly as I wrapped my arms around his neck pulling him close to me.


	9. Chapter Nine

_Author's Note: Thank you again for all the reviews! Here's the next chapter, I'm so glad you guys are enjoying it. Things may being looking up for Aurora and Bash right now, but remember to expect the unexpected ;) Anyway, please keep leaving reviews! I love to hear all of your thoughts! Thank you, darlings :)_

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**Chapter Nine – Aislinn and Nolan**

I could feel the heat of the sunlight shining through my window, I opened one eye and glanced around the room trying to get used to the light. I turned my head around and noticed Bash lying beside me, still sleeping. I remembered that from when we were younger, when we used to have sleep overs in Diane's chambers. He would always sleep later than Francis and I. He also used to bite his nails whenever he was nervous, but it seemed that he grew out of that stage.

I turned onto my side and pulled the sheets up so I was covering myself fully and I traced my pointer finger along his chest. I grazed my finger across his collarbones and pressed my lips to his shoulder lightly.

I felt him shift in his sleep so I leaned my head against my pillow and watched him as his eyes fluttered open. He blinked a few times adjusting to the light that was filling the room. He turned to me with a wide grin, "Good morning."

I laid my hand in the crook of his neck and I felt him kiss the top of my head quickly and I smiled. I wrapped my arm around his middle and he drew circles with his fingers in the middle of my back. I closed my eyes and memorized every infinite circle that he drew along my back and smiled against his bare chest. "I could wake up like this every day for the rest of my life and never get tired of being held in your arms," I whispered.

I looked up at him and he squeezed my arm gently with his hand, "As you see, I do not intend on letting you leave my arms."

I heard a loud knock on my door and I jumped away from him quickly, "My grace, the Queen would like to have a meeting with you." I shot my head in Bash's direction then threw my blanket over his head and he laid back trying to hide. I pulled the sheet up closer to me and the door swung open and banged against the wall.

He looked over at me and cleared his throat, "My apologies, my grace." I could feel Bash's hands roaming around my sides and I bit my bottom lip trying to remain calm.

"No worries," I stammered and swatted Bash's hands away from me and he kissed my lower back. I cleared my throat, "Could you go fetch me some breakfast?" I asked the servant and he nodded quickly before ducking out of the room and shutting the door behind him. I flipped over to I was laying on top of Bash and he was laughing at me, "You think you are hilarious."

He smiled and pecked me on the lips before moving from under me and standing up, he pulled on his pants and stood by the edge of the bed. I wrapped the sheet around me and walked into the bathroom, brushed my hair and teeth and used the toilet.

I stared at myself in the mirror and for the first time in a very long time, I actually looked happy. I had a smile on my face and my cheeks were rosy, I was enjoying myself.

I walked back into my room and over to my closet and picked out a black laced dress that was styled up to my neck and down the arms in lace. I turned towards Bash, "Go into my bathroom, I need to call the maids in here so I can get my corset on."

"I can try," He said suggestively and raised his eyebrows.

I shook my head, "You may be able to take it off with ease, but putting one back on is much more troubling than it looks."

He chuckled, "Very well."

He picked up his shirt off of the ground and walked into my private bathroom and I called my maids into the room. They helped me get the corset and gown on and then left the room once again.

I walked over to the bathroom and knocked on the door and he opened it up, he was wearing the exact clothes from yesterday. He placed both of his hands on either side of my head and pulled me into him, kissing me passionately. He pulled away and I looked up at him, "I will never get used to this."

"We have the rest of our lives to get used to this," I wrapped my arms around his neck and he stared down at me. "These are the moments in our lives that we will cherish, the ones that we will always remember."

Someone knocked on my door and I pulled away from Bash and he walked over to the bathroom and ducked inside. I walked towards the door and opened it letting Leith into the room with my breakfast. He placed the tray down on my bureau but the coffee spurted out and splashed on his white shirt, he stepped away and wiped his black vest with his sleeve. He turned his head and noticed me watching him intently and giggling, "Thank you Leith."

"It is of my pleasure, my grace," He bowed his head but I caught his arm and pulled him to turn around and look at me. "Did I do something wrong?"

I shook my head, "Of course not, but what did I say about calling me, my grace?" I tilted my head to the side and he chuckled.

"Aurora," He nodded and I smiled, "I shall see you around again, I assume."

I nodded and walked him over to my door, "Yes you will."

He went to walk out but stopped and turned to me quickly, "May I ask you a question?" I nodded signaling him to continue, "There is talk going around in the kitchen that you had a man in your bedroom last night that was not your Prince."

"And you are wondering if that is true?" I bit the inside of my lip and he shook his head.

"No, I was just hoping that it is Sebastian," He smiled and I could feel a blush forming, "It is, isn't it? Was he in there just now?" He whispered.

I turned around in the room and looked towards the bathroom, I could see Bash sneaking a peek through the cracked open door. "Yes, he is," I nodded, "But you mustn't speak of this to anyone, do we have an understanding?"

"Yes," He placed his hands behind his back and turned and walked down the hallway and back towards the kitchen.

I turned around quickly and Bash was walking out of the room. I could hear a horn coming from outside and I walked over to the window and I saw the army lining up. I felt Bash walk up behind me and wrap his arms around my waist, "My father is going away. I was supposed to be accompanying him on a hunt."

I turned around in his arms, "There is a but coming, I can sense it."

He shrugged, "I've done enough killing in one day, I told him that I had important matters to attend to." He pressed his lips to mine, "And they are all you."

"You should probably be heading off before Diane begins to worry about you," I suggested and he pursed his lips together. "I need to remain on her good side now," I broke into a grin and he returned one.

He nodded and pulled away from me, "You are absolutely correct. I shall come by your chambers later and we can leave before the sun sets. Will that be acceptable for you?"

I nodded quickly, "The sooner, the better. I will go anywhere with you, as long as that means that we will be together." He kissed me one last time before exiting my room and leaving me by myself. I grabbed my breakfast tray and set it down on my bed and sat down and started to eat.

Later that night, I was combing my hair glancing into the tiny mirror on the bureau, staring at my reflection. I had stolen some of the servant's extra clothing, with the help of Leith and Greer. They were the only two that knew about the escape, minus Diane.

I was wearing a worn out, white dress that had a few marks from dirt on the lower half. The upper half was a halter top that still grew tight enough around my bosom. I wrapped a maroon colored shawl around my shoulders.

I heard the door swing open and I turned around to find Bash standing in the doorway with a wide grin. He ran towards me and held me in his arms, he picked me up with ease and spun me around. I wrapped my arms around his neck and started to laugh. He set me onto the ground and grabbed my face into his hands and pulled me into him, kissing me passionately.

"Are you ready to leave?" He asked and I looked up at him through my eyelashes and nodded.

He held out his arm for me and I looped my arm through his, "I am as ready as I will ever be. Goodbye royalty and hello to a normal life."

He stopped in front of me and I glanced up at him and raised an eyebrow, "If we are going to normal, we will need undercover names. I will be Nolan which means champion," He said proudly and I chuckled at him, "And you will be Aislinn."

"Aislinn?" I scrunched up my nose and he frowned, "Why Aislinn? You get a normal name. I sound like a prostitute. Is that one of the ladies that you have had sex with?"

He placed his hand across his chest as if we were offended and looked down at me, "I would like to inform you that I do not have sex with prostitutes. Only beautiful, independent women," He said pulling me into him by my waist. "They also may have a short temper and quite opinionated, but mostly breath-takingly gorgeous."

"You better be talking about me," I said as I pulled at the collar of his shirt, pulling it down slightly revealing a bit of his chest. I pressed my lips against his bare skin and he trailed his hands from around my waist to the back of my dress. He let his hands find their way to my behind and squeezed it which caused me to jump.

I looked up at him and he smirked, "For the record, I was talking about Aislinn, not you. Do not put yourself on that high of a pedestal." He tapped his finger against my nose and I snapped my eyes closed quickly before glaring back up at him, "If I were to be talking about you, I would have added in extremely annoying and a pain in the ass."

My jaw dropped quickly and he chuckled, pressing his lips against mine, "I will inform you that you are the annoying one. Do you know how much I had to put up with when we were younger? You once pushed me into the lake because, and I'm quoting here, "You had a bird's nest in your hair." Well I would like to inform you that there was never a bird's nest in my hair, I was twelve years old!"

He shook his head, "Yes and I was a fourteen year old boy who had a crush. You were wearing a white dress and well, you developed in your departments more quickly than any of the other girls."

I pushed him in the chest playfully and started laughing, I could feel my cheeks burning up. "So you were always a pervert is what you are telling me."

He shrugged before breaking into a goofy grin, "I might have been a pervert but I always only had my eyes set on one girl." He looked down at me and I felt a blush creeping up onto my cheeks, he raised an eyebrow, "Why are you blushing? Like I said before, do not put yourself on a high pedestal. I was talking about Aislinn again, she was such a catch."

"Is there really an Aislinn or are you pulling my leg now?" I slouched forward and he kissed my forehead, "This isn't funny, Bash."

He took my hands in his, "There was never an Aislinn. There was always only one girl." His cheeks turned bright red and he wouldn't stop smiling. "She may have been rather dorky, but she was always beautiful. Even when she constantly disobeyed the rules and scraped up her knees from running around in the garden chasing butterflies. Not to mention, her love for throwing lady bugs at me because of my fear of bugs." He looked down at me shaking his head and I broke into a smile. "She may have driven me **_mad_**, but in that **_madness_**, it only caused me to fall **_madly_** in love with her."

I stared back at him blankly, "You-you really mean that?"

He nodded his head eagerly, "Of course I do." His voice was shaky because of his nerves and I kissed him hard on the mouth. "I mean every single word and there will never be a day that I don't," He pulled away, "I love you, Aurora."

I couldn't stop smiling at him. I never wanted to stop smiling at him and I never had to. Tonight was going to be the start of an entire new chapter in my life, a part that I could finally be happy. I could finally be myself. I didn't need anyone to hold me down any longer because someone loved me for me.

I kissed him once again before pulling away, "Sebastian, I love you too."


	10. Chapter Ten

_Author's Note: Hello, thank you again for the reviews. Here is the next chapter! Things are going to take another turn soon, so be prepared! What do you think is going to happen? Any predictions? Continue leaving reviews and thank you so much for reading!_

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**Chapter Ten – Dreams and Nightmares**

**-Bash's POV-**

We left the castle on two of the steeds that were in the stable, none of the guards took notice to our departure. We rode off into a small village, it was located a few miles away from the Court. Not too far away, but far enough. Far enough to start our new life together.

Her skin was shining in the moonlight, her smile never faded. She looked so happy for the first time in a long time. She could finally be the girl she always wanted to be. Maybe Aislinn wasn't exactly the name she was expecting, but to me, that was exactly what fit her.

In Ireland, Aislinn is not a commonly known name, but I knew a thing or two about unique names. In order for one to be unique, it must not be taken by many others. Which it wasn't. But one thing for sure was that she definitely fit the meaning. She was definitely my _dream_.

Exploring the world together – just being together. We always believed that this could only be a dream. She was the only thing that I wanted. I thought I was out of my head for believing she would want me too, but there she was. She was walking around the road aimlessly, without a care in the world.

She turned around towards me and waved her hand for me to join her side, she was staring into the sky. You could faintly make out a few stars that were covering the cloudy, dark sky. I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close against my body, I felt a rain drop bounce against my nose. "Did you feel that?" I leaned down and whispered in her ear.

She glanced up and I saw a raindrop land against her cheek and it started to down pour immediately. She looked up at me and started to laugh hysterically as we stood in the pouring rain. "What do we do now? Where do we go?" She shouted and I pulled her arm and made a run for it, leaving our horses behind.

I ran into an empty looking stable and pulled her in behind me. She was still laughing and I turned around to face her. She was soaking wet. Her dress was now basically see-through and her hair was pressed against her forehead. I started to laugh along with her and she hugged me tightly.

"Maybe tonight was not the best night to make our great escape," I pressed my lips to the top of her head and let them linger there until she pulled away from me. She looked up at me and jutted out her bottom lip and shivered, "Are you cold?"

She rolled her eyes, "No, I enjoy standing in the rain and getting soaking wet." I shrugged and walked away from her and she slammed her hands against her sides making a loud smack against the wet dress. "I was only joking," She whined and I turned around. I pulled my jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders and she pulled it tighter. "Thank you, Bash," She mumbled and I nodded.

I sat down on a hay stack and she joined my side. I laid down and she cuddled up next to me, laying her head against my chest. I could hear her fall asleep and I just laid there as she slept. She looked so peaceful and happy. I steadied my breathing to coincide with hers and her heart raced against my chest. I traced the tips of my fingers up and down her arms and I could feel my eyes growing heavier and heavier until I eventually fell asleep.

I heard the chirping of birds and the cows that were located in the barn with us beginning to chew on their hay. I opened my eyes but jumped back quickly waking up Aurora as well. There were three men standing in front of us with swords extended our way. One of the men pressed the edge of the blade under my chin and forced me to look up at him. "Who are you and why are you here?" He commanded, pushing the sword a bit further probably breaking a little skin. "Did the King send you here?"

Aurora pulled away from me and went to stand up but another one of the men stuck his sword in her direction. I threw my hand out in front of her and pushed her backwards protecting her, "We do not come wishing harm unto you and your village."

"Who are you?" He demanded again.

I swallowed hard and he pulled the sword away allowing me to talk freely, "I am Nolan and this is my lady, Aur-" I stopped myself and continued, "Aislinn."

He narrowed his eyes on mine, "Nolan and Aislinn, eh?" He chuckled and shook his head when I nodded and put my hands up in defense. He put the sword back towards me and I sucked in a quick breath. "Now tell me who you really are, what do you take me for? A lousy fool?"

I shook my head, "Of course not, sir. But I am telling you the truth, I am Nolan and this is Aislinn from Ireland. We were just passing through when the rain began last night and we had no shelter. We thought that this stable was open so we were just going to spend the night then leave and be on our merry way."

He pulled the sword away again and looked over to the other two men, they all exchanged a look before turning back to us. "Very well, but if we ever find you in this stable again. You would have wished that we would have killed you now," He warned and I nodded quickly.

I turned around to Aurora and grabbed her hands in mine and pulled her with me and we walked towards the exit. I turned around to the men before exiting, "Thank you for understanding. It truly means a lot," I mumbled and walked outside of the door.

We walked along the road and she was quiet, I looked over towards her and she was staring at the ground as she walked. Her eyes were glued onto every step that she took. I grabbed her hand in mine and she glanced over at me and started to smile. A small dimple indented on her left cheek and her white teeth shined. "What are you thinking of?"

She chuckled and stopped in her steps, she stood in front of me and took my face into her soft, warm hands. I felt myself lean into her touch and she just stared up at me in awe, "I was just thinking about how much we had to go through just to get here. We left royalty to be nobodies. We lived in a stable last night and almost died this morning. We threw in every single one of our cards just so we could finally have the life we always dreamt about. Since when did achieving ones dream become this difficult to fulfill?"

"But we will make this worth all of the trouble," I brushed her hair out of her face and her blue eyes were shining into mine. Her gaze was mesmerizing and I never wanted to take my eyes away from her. I never wanted to leave her side. "I know that it will be worth it."

She looked up at me with a hint of sarcasm, "Have I ever doubted you?"

We made it to the next town over by sunrise and we rented a vacant Inn from one of the villagers. I sat down on the chair and leaned back against the chair. I felt two hands touch my shoulders lightly and then began to kneed my shoulders and neck. I closed my eyes and let out a low groan and I felt her kiss the top of my head. The fire that was burning in the corner of the room started blowing out quickly from the lack of firewood. I stood up and turned to her, "I'm going to fetch us more firewood. Will you be okay alone?"

She nodded her head and stood on her tiptoes to kiss me gently, "Hurry back."

I walked out of the tiny door, which was too low for me, so I had to crouch down before walking out. I barely made it five yards away from the Inn before I heard men screaming. "There he is! Get him and bring him back to the King!"

**-Aurora's POV-**

I watched as he walked out of the Inn and I sat down on the chair that he was previously sitting on. It wasn't even a minute later when I heard a lot of shouting coming from outside. I stood up immediately and ran towards the door. I ran outside and saw a crowd of men pushing someone onto the ground and tying their hands behind their back. I pushed a few local villagers out of the way until I could finally see who it was.

I pulled one of the men's arms but he turned around and slapped me across the face causing me to fall backwards onto the muddy ground. I was laying on the ground, covered in mud from head to toe and the rain was still coming down hard. I tried to wipe my eyes but my vision was still a little blurred. I saw the person they were taking laying down beside me about two feet away. I reached my hand towards him, but the men kept punching and kicking him.

"Bash!" I yelled and extended my arm even farther and he looked over at me. Two of the men grabbed his arms and pulled him off of his feet.

He started to cough obnoxiously and kicked his feet trying to free himself, but they were dragging him away from me. "Aurora," He shouted back at me and continued to try and free himself, but he was failing. They kept pulling him further and further so I pushed myself off of the ground and chased after them.

"Bash!" I cried out and stopped dead in my tracks when the men picked up their pace and headed for their horses in the distance. There was no way that I was going to be able to catch up with them without a horse. "I will find you," I screamed over the rain and the villagers gossiping about the French Bastard that ran away. I took another step forward before he vanished out of my sight, "I will always find you!"

I turned around quickly and every one was giving me odd looks. I pulled the shawl off from around my head and cleared my throat. "I am Princess Aurora of Ireland and I need a horse," I demanded towards the townspeople. I heard a few gasps and children cheering, "Right now! I also need a bow and arrows, quickly."

They all began to scatter in order to fulfill my requests. Shortly after, I was on my way to find Bash. I took off on the horse they provided me in the direction he was taken. I held the bow in my other hand with the bag of arrows on my shoulder.

I caught up to where they were in no time and pulled an arrow from the bag and placed it on the crossbow and raised it. I rested my head against it, figuring out the best angle to shoot from. I sucked in a breath and let the arrow go and it raced through the air and shot one of the men in the arm and he fell of the horse. The horse was shocked and ran off in the opposite direction, the rest of the men started to glance around and I jumped off of my horse and tied him to a branch. I snuck my way closer and one of the men spoke up, "Who is out there?"

I tiptoed behind a tree and pulled another arrow out and placed it on the bow and turned around the corner of the tree and aimed at the man. I let it go and it shot right beside his head and landed in the tree right behind him exactly where I aimed it. "Who is out there?" He screamed louder and I ran out from behind the tree.

"Princess Aurora of Ireland and I demand of you to let Sebastian free. He was in my immediate command and my escort back to Ireland. How would the King like to be noticed that you let the Princess travel unaided?" I stepped onto the ground where he was on his horse and I stared up at him. Bash was sitting behind him, hands still tied behind his back. "He is under my protection, just as I am under his. In order of the King, of course."

He turned around to glance at Bash and threw his head back, "My sincere apologies, my Grace. I was unaware of the King's approval." He climbed off of his horse and helped Bash get down, he untied his hands and Bash made his way over towards me. He walked past me and stood behind me, hands behind his back.

I looked over at the man who was leaning against a tree, cupping his wounded arm in his opposite hand. He looked at my eye and realized that it was bruised and tilted his head to the side, "Get him back to the Court safely. I shot him pretty accurately. It's only what he deserves after laying a hand on one of your royal superiors."

He stood up quickly and bowed his head, "My apologies, my Majesty. I was unaware that it was you when I swung. It will never happen again."

"Would you have swung if it was an ordinary girl? Or are you only apologizing because I am of a Royal Family?" He looked away from me quickly, "What is it with you men that think laying a finger on a woman is appropriate behavior. How would you like it if I could slap you whenever I felt like it? Abuse is never acceptable behavior."

He bowed down in front of me before climbing on the back of the horse and they both rode away into the darkness, followed by the other men that were surrounding. I turned around to Bash and he had a grin on his face, "That was quite the heroic work that you did back there."

I shrugged my shoulders and kissed him gently, "I had to save my damsel in distress."

He cocked his head back and I chuckled, "I was not a damsel in distress. I could have easily taken all of the men if I were to have the appropriate warning. It was a sneak attack, I was not prepared for a battle."

I laughed lightly, "Rule one is always be ready for battle."

"Thank you for coming to my rescue," He pulled me into a warm, tight hug. I was squished in between his two strong arms, but something about it felt safe, even if he could snap me like a twig. He put his hand under my chin and forced me to look up at him and he kissed my gently, deepening the kiss quickly and I didn't hesitate kissing him back.

I tangled my fingers in the hair by the nape of his neck and pulled away, "It's my pleasure, Nolan." I chuckled and he blushed slightly, "Can I just call you Prince Charming instead?"

"Why would that be?" He raised an eyebrow questionably.

I shrugged my shoulders, "If I am a Princess than you will have to be my Prince. I chose Charming because that is what you are. You are quite charming and cheeky."

He looked up into the sky and was mesmerized by the stars and the full moon that was shining down on us. He looked over at me with a grin on his face, "Dance with me."

"There is no music," I crossed my arms across my chest and he held out his hand and I sighed before taking it in my hand. He pulled me into him and I placed one hand in his and my left hand on his right shoulder. I leaned my head against his forehead and we just danced there in complete silence in the moonlight that was beaming on us. "Why are we dancing?" I whispered in his ear and he spun me outwards then into him quickly and I lost balance of my footing and bumped straight into him.

He laughed, "Since I am not in the running to be a King and you threw away being a Queen to be with me. You will never have your dream wedding and have that special first dance. Where you are the center of every single person in the room's attention. So I want to give you that dance because you deserve your perfect first dance. You deserve to have everyone stunned by your beauty, like I am right now."

"I only need one man's attention on that special day and that is yours," I leaned up and kissed his cheek. "I don't need a huge wedding, I just want your eyes on me when that time comes. You're the only one that I care about, everyone else are just there for mere entertainment."

He smiled and we continued to dance together in the middle of the wooded area. Not a sound in the area besides a few birds chirping and squirrels chasing each other around the trees. A stream that was not too far away was quiet and calm and every once in a while you could hear a frog. The moon shined brighter and brighter down on us. We kept dancing until the sun came up, just enjoying the mere company of one another.


	11. Chapter Eleven

_Author's Note: Here you guys go! Chapter 11. And this story wouldn't be the same if it didn't have it's drama and heartache. So here we have it and it's exactly what the title looks like. The consequences. Bash and Aurora thought everything was going perfect. But what about what was happening back in the French Court. Or more importantly, Ireland._

_Please leave reviews and I hope you guys enjoy! Thanks for reading darlings :)_

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**Chapter Eleven – Consequences **

I woke up and immediately snuck out of the Inn that we were staying in and trying to let Bash continue to sleep peacefully. After last night, he deserved to sleep in a little longer than usual. We never really thought of what would happen if the King found out of our departure. We were living in the moment and didn't think of any of the consequences. The King. Francis. Phillip. None of those people were any priority of ours. All we cared about was being with each other.

I walked down the dirt road and came across a tiny little food market that was outside. There was a man selling fruit and vegetables and there were a few customers standing around picking out fruit and chatting with one another. The village we ended up staying in for the night was very close knit. Everyone seemed to know everyone.

I held my little wooden basket closer to my chest and made my way over to the market and picked up an apple and placed it into the basket. I kept picking up fruit and checking if they were ripe enough for us to eat for breakfast.

I was isolated from the other customers as they seemed to all be conversing in a serious topic. "Have you heard about the fall of the Irish Empire?" A woman gossiped to one of the men behind the table selling the fruit. I picked up a few of the apples that we ripe and placed them into my basket, listening to the conversation intently.

The man nodded in response, "Yes, it is a shame that the Princess has gone missing and hasn't ascended to her rightful throne yet. The villagers said that they did not believe that she was fit for a Queen."

"Why is that?" The woman asked and another customer joined into the conversation. "I head that she ended her engagement to Phillip, Heir of Germany."

"They better find their Princess soon before their Empire is overthrown by the Germans. They only had an alliance with them through the engagement. I'm awaiting the news that Germany has taken the Irish Empire, it is only a matter of time." I dropped one of the apples out of my hand and it rolled under the cart and the man who own the cart rolled his eyes. I muttered my apology and he waved me off and continued to interact in the conversation.

The woman nodded her head slightly, "She should have just married the Prince. I heard that he was a real gentleman."

I swallowed hard and walked over towards them, "What is it that I heard, the Empire of Ireland has fallen?"

The owner answered me, "It is complete chaos over there."

I arched an eyebrow, "Do you know how? The last I've heard King Stefan and Queen Leah had the Empire completely under control. I do not understand how it could just up and fall."

"You haven't heard?" I shook my head at the other man, "The King and Queen have passed away, it is suspected that it was homicide."

I took a step away from them, not believing a word of it. "You must be mistaken, the King and Queen are perfectly safe. No one would murder them. We have-" I shook my head. "The Irish have no enemies, they have an alliance with Germany. France is keeping them safe."

They all shook their heads in unison and the woman replied, "You are the one that is mistaken. If Princess Aurora does not take her place as the rightful Queen, I am afraid that Ireland will no longer be in control of their land."

I walked away from them quickly, dropping the basket of apples that I have filled up. I ran into the abandoned stable that we were staying in and Bash stood up and smiled, "Thank god you are back. I was contemplating biting my own arm off then eating it." He looked in my hands and saw that they were empty before fixating his eyes on mine, "What is wrong, Aurora?"

"I need to go home," I placed my hand onto my forehead and rubbed my temples.

He gave me a discouraging look of confusion, "What do you mean? We are home, remember? You are my only home."

I disregarded his statement, although hearing it made me smile. "I cannot believe that this has happened, I don't know what to do." I felt tears running down my face and he walked over to me quickly, engulfing me into a warm hug. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face into his chest as he petted my hair back.

He kissed the top of my head before pulling away, he took my face into his hands and forced me to look at him. "Please explain what happened? So I know what we are up against," He tilted his head to the side.

"I knew that this would never last." I pulled away from him and took a step back, his eyes grew wide and I wiped my tears with the edge of the shawl, "I was foolish to believe that a girl like me could truly be happy."

He walked over to me and took my hands into his, tracing his fingers along my knuckles. I stared down at our hands, "Why are you saying these things? We are happy, we are together. We are living the life that we have always dreamed of since we were children."

I looked up at him, his eyes looked so hurt. I sighed and grazed his cheekbone with my fingers, "My past is coming back to haunt me. I will always be a Princess, no matter what I do to overrun it, my royalty will always catch up to me."

"What are you talking about? We got you out of there, you are a normal girl. You are Aislinn and I am Nolan. We are not royalty nor related to royalty."

I shook my head, "No matter how badly I want to be Aislinn, I will always be Aurora. I will always have my country to look over. You will always be Sebastian, the King's illegitimate son. You are not an heir to the throne, but I am. I will have to step up to my rightful spot and become the Queen of Ireland one day. But as much as I would want it, you could never be my King."

He chuckled to himself darkly and turned away from me, he whipped himself back around angrily and yelled, "What is the sudden change of heart? Did you realize that this was too serious for you? You are scared to be with me? I am fully aware that my stunt the other night was completely irrational. I know I put your life into danger and I am truly sorry. If you do not want to be with me, do not make up some excuse to make yourself feel better."

"This is no excuse, Sebastian!" I screamed back swinging my arms to my sides, annoyed. "But I cannot be with you."

"Why? Why can we never be happy? Every single time that something good comes into our lives, you rip it away like it means nothing to you. Stop pushing me away, because one day, I will not be standing here waiting for you to come back," He pointed his finger in my face and I looked up as I felt my bottom lip quiver.

I walked away from him and towards the bed and sat down on the edge of it, my voice grew quieter and sounded more sheepish. I traced my hand along the sheets of the single bed, "Do you mind if I close my eyes for a few minutes before we head back?"

He ran his hand through his hair and I leaned back into the bed and pulled the covers around me and turned away so I wasn't facing him. I snapped my eyelids shut and tried to hold back the tears that were filling my eyes. I heard him swipe his hand across the table and everything that was placed on it went flying across the room and he stormed out of the room. I let out a mix of a sob and scream and sat up, I took the pillow in my hands and threw it across the room.

We got back to the French Court in about a day's trip. I slid off of my horse and walked towards the castle, Bash grabbed my arm but I pulled away. "Are we going to act like this last week meant nothing to us?"

I turned my head to him and kept my chin high, "You know that it meant everything to me. Thank you for giving me my tiny chance of a happy ending."

"Why won't you just tell me what is wrong?" He asked but I deflected the question and picked up my pace. He grabbed my arm so I would face him and his eyes were pleading for the truth. "Aurora! What changed your mind? What did I do wrong?"

I felt a tear slide down my cheek and he wiped it away gently and I leaned against his touch. My cheek collapsed into the palm of his hand. I reached up and placed my hand over his and pulled it away from my cheek and his face fell. "You did nothing wrong, I swear. Everything was perfect and exactly how I imagined it."

"Then what is wrong!" He yelled and I took a step backwards away from him. The power in his voice was frightening. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry about everything. I just wish you would explain what happened. We were finally happy. We were in love. We are in love."

I smiled weakly and touched his face lightly with my fingers, he closed his eyes as I made contact with his skin. "Bash, I wish we could go back to how things were, but we never thought about the consequences. Now they've caught up to us," I turned away from him and walked through the Castle's doors and he ran behind me.

Francis was standing in the corridor and he looked over and noticed me. "Aurora!" He shouted as he ran over to me and enveloped me into a warm hug. "We were worried sick about you," He pulled away and grabbed my face in his hands. He looked over when Bash walked into the room and he let go of me and walked over to his brother. "Thank you for taking care of her," Francis said slamming his palm into Bash's shoulder.

I heard a stampede of boots marching our way and someone turned the corner. He had dark brown hair and blue eyes, I swallowed hard as he made his way towards me. "My grace," He finally muttered once he was in front of me. I nodded my head and he pulled me into a hug.

"Phillip, I am perfectly well," I pulled away from him and placed my hand on his cheek.

He leaned down and kissed my lips lightly and I was hesitant at first, very hesitant. It felt wrong kissing someone's lips other than Bash's. I've gotten so used to them the past few days that I never wanted to kiss anyone else ever again. But here I was, standing in the French Court, kissing my fiancé that I had to reluctantly take back. After everything he did to me.

Phillip walked over to Bash and swung his fist landing him straight in the jaw and Bash stumbled backwards. I closed my eyes and looked away, "I want him charged for treason."

Two of the guards grabbed Bash and tied his hands behind his back, he tried to free himself but it was no use. I walked over to Phillip and grabbed his arm, "Phillip, please. He did nothing wrong, if you're going to punish someone, punish me."

He pulled me closer to him and whispered in my ear, "Do not worry. I shall get to you once I take care of this bastard." He let go of me, "I thought I was being kind before, watching you pine over him. But I was obviously too gracious."

I scoffed at him, "Yes, too gracious. Shall I inform the entire Court about your generosity?" His eyes turned a dark blue and his upper lip snarled, "I think the King would love to know how you kept me in line."

Phillip waved his hand in the air, "Can we have some time alone?" He signaled towards the guards who were still holding Bash back with his hands behind his back. Francis nodded his head before walking out of the room. "Bring him to the dungeon," He ordered the guards.

They started to pull him away but he fought and tried to stay where he was. He kicked his feet in the air and tried to free his arms. "Aurora, don't let him do this. Please," He pleaded and I just bit my bottom lip and turned my head down. "Did this mean nothing to you, do I mean nothing to you?" He screamed as the doors closed behind me and I put my hand to my forehead.

I looked up and Phillip had a few feet of distance between us. His eyes were cold and his jaw was clenched tightly and the curve of his lips were pointed down. He stalked towards me but I stood tall and kept my chin up. "Why did you run away?" He asked angrily and I darted my eyes to meet his gaze. "Just tell me why."

I took a deep breath before answering, "Do not play dumb, Phillip. We are both fully aware of this game between us. That is all this relationship has ever been, nothing more or nothing less." I took a step forward and grazed his upper arm with my fingers, "I know what you did back in Ireland. I know that it was you who poisoned me."

He jerked his head back quickly, "Why would I-"

"Don't lie, Phillip," I put my hand up to shut up. "I overheard your confession to one of the guards. So do not lie to me, please do not lie to me."

He touched my face lightly but I pulled away, "You were not meant to hear that. I'm sorry," He apologized but that only made me angrier.

I ripped away from him, "Are you sorry that you poisoned me or are you sorry that I overheard your confession. Do not use a pity on me, Phillip. I am fully aware of the attempts you have on gaining control on my Empire. Which is **my** empire now after my parents passing."

"Oh yes, I heard about that. It was such a shame." He snarled and I narrowed my eyes on his, "You should have heard the screams that your mother made when I personally drove my sword through her heart." He snapped through his clenched teeth and my eyes grew wide, "Don't look so surprised, love. With you gone with the bastard of France, I felt like I was losing you. How else was I supposed to get you home? Of course, murder your mummy and daddy."

I stormed up to him and pushed him in the chest with all my power and he stumbled back laughing hysterically at me. "You son of a bitch!" I shouted in his face and slapped him across the face with my right hand, as hard as I could. He looked up at me with rage filling his eyes and I pushed him again and he went stumbling against the wall. "You make my life miserable, this engagement is off. You will be lucky enough to make it out of France with your head. You fucking inconsiderable bastard," I dictated.

He just chuckled and grabbed both of my arms, quickly switching our positions so I was pushed up against the wall. He put his left arm under my chin and leaned close to my face, "No you listen to me, bitch. We will be getting married tomorrow, understand?" I shook my head furiously and punched his chest repeatedly, trying to free myself from his grip. He pushed harder against my throat and I gasped out and wrapped my hands around his wrists. "We will marry one another tomorrow and I will let that bastard live. We will move back to Ireland and you will marry me and give me my first child. If you even think of denying this request, I will burn down every single village located in Ireland. Every single one," He stressed. "I will make it my mission to kill every one of your followers. Not only that, but I will lock you in your own dungeon back at home and make you my sex slave." I looked away from him but he took his other hand and grabbed me by the jaw forcefully to look him in the eyes. "Do you understand me?"

I nodded my head, "Yes. I understand you," I pulled his hand away from my jaw and he dropped it to my side and grazed his fingers along my hip. I squirmed away but he pulled my body into his and pressed his lips to mine. He stuck his tongue into my mouth quickly and I tried to pull away but he had his grip too tight. "Phillip," I pushed his chest again and he let go of me and took a step away.

"You do not understand how badly I would love to strip you from your virtue right now." He huffed out hungrily and I raised my eyes to the ceiling trying to deflect his eyes. "That is, of course, if you didn't already lose it." He walked back over to me and let his fingers linger against my cheek, "Did you sleep with that bastard?"

I looked him straight in the eyes, "Even if I did, it wouldn't change anything between us. You still sicken me." I pointed out and he shook his head laughing, he placed his other hand beside my head against the wall. "How come it is acceptable for men to have sex with hundreds of women, but if a woman were to do so, she should be ashamed of herself. You will still marry me either way," I tilted my head to the side.

"I may just have to kill that bastard after all," He pushed himself off of the wall and started to walk away from me.

I walked after him, "Just know that if you do that, you will have more enemies than just the Queen of Ireland."

He spun on his foot, "Queen?"

"Indeed, that is now my appropriate title. You are still just a mere Prince in line for the King, so I believe I should be making the decisions. I decide that if you lay one finger," I walked up to him and whispered in his ear. "You will be the one to be beheaded and I would not want to put my word to the test. Do we have an understanding?"

I dismissed myself away from him and walked out of the room and towards the King's Quarters. I walked into the room and he was sitting down on his throne with Queen Catherine beside him. I walked into the center and curtsied in front of them before standing up straight. "King Henry, Queen Catherine, I wanted to thank you for your gratitude on letting my fiancé and I stay under your protection the past few months. It is no longer needed, now that I am the Queen of Ireland. We will be heading back to Ireland in the morning. Our marriage will be that night, I would like to invite you to the ceremony. It would be my honor to have your attendance as I marry the man I am engaged to."

King Henry raised his hand signaling for one of the kitchen staff members to halt in his place. I looked over and noticed that it was Leith and I gave him a small smile. "Thank you for your invitation, Queen Aurora. We would love to join you on your huge day. Catherine, Francis and I will definitely be there," He smiled but I frowned.

I furrowed my eyebrows together, "What about Sebastian? He is invited as well as Lady Diane," I swallowed hard. He took a deep sigh and signaled for Leith and the rest of the maids and kitchen staff to exit the room. He stood up and walked down the steps and stood in front of me.

"Sadly, he was charged of treason and was sentenced to be beheaded by sundown," He said sadly and I snapped my head to meet his eyes.

I took a step away from him and placed my hand in my hair and twirled a piece of loose hair around my index finger. "Why was I not informed about this approval? Who ordered this? Phillip?" I questioned and King Henry nodded his head slowly. "As Queen of Ireland, I deflect his request and I want Sebastian to be placed back in the safety of your Court."

He shook his head, "I cannot allow that. It is about to happen in any second. The news wouldn't travel fast enough to the dungeon."

"But if it were Francis, Catherine would go to every extreme to stop your son's beheading. Why wouldn't you fight? He is your damn son!" I shouted and he jumped a bit from the power that came out in that statement. "He may not be your son with Catherine, but he is still yours. You would never allow such mistreatment happen to Francis. If you will please excuse me," I curtsied quickly before turning around and running out of the room.

I swung the huge, heavy doors quickly and saw Leith standing outside of the room. He looked over to me with worry covering his face, "I know a shortcut through the kitchen to the dungeon," He grabbed my hand and pulled me down a vacant hallway. We got into the dungeon, much quicker than if I were the one leading the way.

I saw Bash laying his head against the table and Phillip was holding a sword and standing a few yards away from him. I busted into the room and signaled the guards, "Arrest that man for the disapproval of the King." I shouted and the guards shuffled quickly to Phillip and grabbed the sword off of him and pulled him out of the room and into a separate room. I turned to one of the guards, "Do not hurt him. You may through in a punch or two if he gets out of line, though." He bowed before walking out of the room to find the other guards.

Leith backed out of the room to return back to the kitchen and I ran over to Bash and untied his hands from behind his back. I grabbed his face so he would look at me and wiped a few stray tears that were staining his cheeks. I let my hand run down his jaw and felt the stubble of his beard against my skin. His green eyes were locked on my blue and I dropped my head onto his shoulder. "Thank god that you are safe and I got here when I did."

He pulled away awkwardly so I looked up to meet his eyes, "Why did you stop them?"

"I am a fool Sebastian de Poitiers, but every foolish endeavor I go through is to keep you safe. Just keep that in mind," I swallowed hard and he tilted his head to the side. "You are going to hear some things that will not make much sense. They will most likely infuriate you, but just keep that in mind. Please just keep that in mind, Bash." I leaned my forehead against his and closed my eyes.

He touched my face with his bruised hand and I bit the inside of my cheek, "Tell me what is wrong, Aurora. I beg of you," He pleaded but I pulled away and stood up. I dusted off the dirty dress that I was still wearing and he stood up in pursuit.

"Princess," One of the guards ran into the room frantically and I directed my attention towards the door. "The King is asking for you to finish your request to leave the Court," He curt nodded and placed his hands behind his back and stood up tall.

I walked away from Bash, "You will address me as Queen of Ireland now." I announced and Bash grabbed my arm and twisted me to face him. He was confused and lost, all I wanted to do was come clean, but I couldn't. Not quite yet.

"What do you mean that you are a Queen now?" He asked but I pulled away and turned to the guard. "Take him up to the maids and get him cleaned up," I walked out of the room and Bash started calling my name but I tried to ignore him.

I was standing in front of the entire French Council, Bash was seated next to Mary and her ladies. The guards still had Phillip arrested, his hands were behind his back where he could hurt no one. Henry was seated on his throne with Catherine seated beside her. Francis was standing beside his father and the rest of the Court.

King Henry stood up and placed his hands behind his back and bowed forward and I picked up the bottom of my new, freshly cleaned gown. I curtsied before we both stood up straight, "This meeting is for the departure of the Queen of Ireland."

"I would like to accept your request for your departure of tomorrow morning. We will give you aid of ten guards to ensure your safety back to your empire. Along with that, we will also be accepting your invitation of Catherine, Francis, Sebastian and I to help celebrate your marriage to the Prince of Germany." Henry stated and I kept my eyes glued on his, I heard gasps and chatter along the audience. "Would you like to add any final words?"

I lifted my head up high, "I would like to give you my sincere appreciation for the beautiful shelter that you have given me. I have grown up on this Estate longer than I have in my own home country. Thank you for your incredible hospitality from all of you, I truly felt like I was home." I glanced over at Bash who was glaring in my direction when I repeated his words from yesterday. _Home._ I turned back to the King to continue with my speech, but I completely lost my train of thought. "I-I," I swallowed hard and placed my hand to my stomach, holding it lightly. "I just wanted to give you my thanks," I smiled weakly and turned towards the guards. "You can release him now, I drop my accusations against him and he is now under my arm for the remainder of time that we stay here."

I walked back up to my room for the final time, the maids already cleared most of my things out of the room. I sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed before throwing myself back against the mattress and staring at the ceiling. I heard the door open and I leaned up to see Phillip walking into the room and shutting the door angrily behind him.

I threw my head back against the mattress before sitting up, "I thought we were clear that you were not to touch Sebastian? I do recall giving you _exact_ orders to not lay a finger on him," I proclaimed as I shot off of the bed and stormed over to him.

"You had sex with him and you think that I should just sit back and not give a damn. As much as it doesn't seem, I do care for you. I could see myself loving you and you only. But you will never love me like you love him. You will never look at me like you look at that damn bastard. What is so wonderful about him that makes you hate me as much as you do?" He stalked over to me and he was extremely close to my face.

I looked up at him without an expression on my face, "The reason I will never love you like I love him is because he actually cares for what I have to say. Whenever you disagree with me, you think the appropriate solution is to lay a hand on me. But sadly, not everything can be fixed with violence. Especially how I feel about you," I said strongly and his chin raised slightly as he took a step away from me.

His facial expression changed from calm and collected to furious and cold, he pushed me by my shoulders onto the bed. I fell back against it and bounced back up, "Violence cannot solve this? Then maybe we need a sexual attraction," He pulled my gown up and unbuckled his pants and let them fall onto the ground.

He climbed on top of me and put his hand over my mouth so no one could hear my screams. He let his hand graze up my thigh and I kicked my feet trying to free myself. I pulled his hand off of my mouth and put my hands to the back of his head. I leaned up and head-butted him and pushed him off of me and he fell onto the floor. I stood up from the bed quickly and ran out of the room, the dress fixed itself as I made my way into the hallway.

I ran out of the castle as fast as I could and made my way past the stables and to Diane's chambers. I ran inside and Bash was sitting by the fire, Diane was not in there. He looked up and saw me, I was out of breath and I pushed my hair out of my face. He jumped up quickly and ran over to me and I jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly. I couldn't stop the tears that were already running down my cheeks and being with him just made me cry harder. The fact that I could never have my happy ending with the only one I wanted it with.

He pulled away and took my face in his hands and pressed his forehead against mine, "Can you please explain what is wrong now? Because you've been shutting me out the past two days then come running in here crying. Aurora, please let me know what is going on. Yesterday you were saying how much you love me and now, tomorrow you are marrying Phillip."

I pulled away from him and tried to stop the sobs that were present, I couldn't catch my breath. He pulled me into him once again and pressed his lips to the top of my head and rubbed my back in slow circles. I closed my eyes and could finally breathe once again, I pulled away and ran my hand up his chest to his neck. I let my hand go the back of his neck and I tangled my fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck. "I must marry him because my mother and father have been murdered. I heard the villagers talking about it when I was getting our fruit. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, but I didn't know how. I didn't want to believe it myself," My voice cracked and he pulled me towards the fire. We sat down on the cushions beside the fire and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

"Phillip killed them," I informed and he looked down at him. "He killed my parents and threatened to kill every village unless I married him. He was going to kill you. He was going to lock me in my own dungeon and turn me into his sex slave. What was I supposed to do, Bash? I couldn't let all of that happen, so I agreed. I had no other choice but to agree. I'm so sorry," I cried harder into the crook of his neck and his fingers trailed down my arm.

He kissed my forehead, "Sh, it's okay. You do not have to apologize to me, I should be apologizing to you. I was not thinking about the outcomes of our escape, I was only thinking about how much I wanted to be with you. I was selfish," He leaned his head over mine and I sighed. "You are strong, you will get through this."

"But I don't want to," I shook my head and pulled away from him and looked over at his sword. I stood up and walked over to it and picked it up, inspecting it. I glanced up at him and his eyes were filled with horror, "Bash." I took a deep breath and handed him the sword, "I don't want this life. I don't want to be the Queen. I don't want to marry Phillip. I don't want to sleep with him and have his children. I don't want the throne. I don't want any of this, but this. This is what I want. Please, do this for me." He looked down at the sword then back up to me.

He tilted his head onto his shoulder, "Aurora. Are you insane? I am not going to kill you," He insisted and I sank my shoulders forward. I walked back over to him and tried to take the sword out of his hands but he kept refusing. "You are not killing yourself," He threw the sword across the room out of both of our reach and walked over to me. "What has gotten into you?" He shook his head and pressed his lips to mine, "I love you," He mumbled and I pulled away.

"Don't say that, please do not say that. I can't, I do not want to hear it," I shook my head angrily. He picked me up and he carried me into his bedroom. He placed me on top of his bed and pulled the covers over me, he blew out his candle before laying down beside me. He sat against the frame of the bed and pulled me into him and I laid my head on his chest. "You were the best thing to ever happen to me, I don't want anyone else. I don't want to marry him," I whispered and he ran circles on my back where my dress was open. "Please don't let me marry him," I cried weakly and he sighed before I felt my eyes fall completely shut and my surroundings faded to blackness.


End file.
